A Fury's Tribulation
by The70boss302
Summary: Hiccup shoots down the infamous Night Fury that's plagued Berk for the past five long years, but with a great victory comes a great sacrifice. What misfortune will fall upon him with his achievement? What lies beneath those luminous acidic eyes of the Night Fury?
1. Chapter 1: A Different Intention

AN: Hello! For those of you who may not know, I am the author for 'Truth and Reconciliation'. To give you guys and girls a short explanation, I have been very busy with the aforementioned story lately, but I have come across some sort of writer's block. While I could probably put out more and more chapters easily, I feel that the quality would suffer greatly.

Disclaimer: I do not own How to Train Your Dragon, or anything related to it.

To keep myself from destroying 'Truth and Reconciliation', I have started working on something new and something different. I will go ahead and let you know that I am completely unoriginal and uncreative. I can't figure out my own story plot so I am working off of an already used and reused plot-bunny. Hopefully you enjoy my rendition of this type of story.

I give you:

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A Fury's Tribulation

A Different Intention

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I came in fast, faster than I would have liked. My body slammed into the treetops at an alarming rate, ripping scales and piercing my hide along the way. Eventually I lost enough speed to hit a tree straight on.

Excellent.

At least the tree was on its last leg of life already. My side took most of the impact as I broke the full size timber in two. As I passed over the break in the tree, I felt the jagged edge tear skin from my tail; I hurled towards the ground and crashed into the awaiting earth to break my fall.

I slid down the hillside, carving a deep trench into the soil. I flailed my claws wildly as I attempted to slow my decent. Apparently nature thought my voyage should not have been finished so soon. A lip at the bottom of the hill threw me into the air once more, only to allow me to successfully impact the ground yet again.

_That _was unpleasant….

Maybe living life on the ground would be a better, no, _healthier_ alternative. I groaned as I came to rest on my aching side. I looked up at the path of destruction that I carved through the foliage above me, and up at that useless black fin dangling caught in the dead tree. That fin, what was once part of me, flapped along in the wind as if it were laughing at me.

|| No…. ||

I felt my heart drop inside of my chest as I closed my eyes. I've seen what happens to other people of my species when they lose a wing or a fin; it doesn't take long.

That cursed mortal that laced this cable trap around my perfect body; he would suffer for what he has done to me. Those other members of the dragon species, the ones who lost their limbs, I could see every one of their faces as they were broken down little by little in agony and defeat.

I would now join them.

That tail hanging in the wind, shredded at the edge of its link, it would be the death of me.

I let out a moan of pain and anguish as I struggled against that impeccable harness of ropes and stones. Why couldn't I have just gone a little bit faster, been slightly lower, waited a second longer, anything? Anything that could have prevented this ruthless entrapment from encasing my wings.

I guess you're wondering how I came to be in this mess as a Dark Sentry, if you could call me that anymore.

It all started at the Isle. This place didn't have a _true _name, the only reason we called it the Isle was for a reference. You couldn't put a name on something so wretched, so vulgar, and so heinous. This place reeked of sulfur and ash; it was surrounded by a death cloud of fog and mist so not even the gods would have to look at it. Why was this place so horrifying?

The Empress.

A being of such loathing and hatred that demons themselves wouldn't veer into her path. She murdered for the fun of it, and tormented those under her will for amusement. If you didn't fall into her line of command, well, say hello to my ancestors in the afterlife if you would.

I can't explain the sheer size alone that she possesses. The volcano in which she resides is nearly bursting at the seams to contain her girth. I guess if I had two thousand dragon slaves bringing me meals twice a day, I would become her size as well.

Two thousand dragons…two thousand members of _my _species unwillingly giving in to her will to keep her alive. It still amazes me how every one of them will wake up every day and bow down to her; every day and succumb to her call; every day without thinking about what they have lost.

That's what I have done.

For five long years, that's what I've done. Only for me, it's different. Those weak minded excuses for a dragon can't impede her call. Do I feel it? Yes, but I may be the only one that seems to push it aside.

I've tried to reason with the other dragons, but none of them accepted my guidance. I've tried to level with the Infernohide; I've tried to teach the Spikeshooters; I've even tried to assist the Boulderbelchers. None of them, not a single one, will listen. They only believe the lies.

The lies… I never would have imagined a place filled with so many horrible lies. The power she seems to hold over them; it's all a lie.

The fire within a dragon is vital for its existence. A dragon's fire is what keeps them going, it's what keeps them alive, and it's what _defines_ them. A dragon's fire is a clear representation of their health and well-being; if it's slow and ineffective, they're dying; if it's quick and responsive, while destroying the target, the dragon should have many years ahead.

_This _is how the Empress controls them. _This _is how she reduces them down to her irrational servants. She declares that she could steal their fire. A dragon with no fire would be a soulless creature, a lost imitation of their body, a mindless drone; there would be no reason to live.

I'm not sure how she convinced them of these lies. When I arrived at the Isle, all had already been lost. Any newcomers would be quickly brainwashed to believe that even if they were to try and flee, she could still extinguish their flames within.

They tried to warn me of her power, they tried to manipulate me into being one of her pets. A Dark Sentry is no pet.

As I said earlier, I may be the only one to reject her call. The calls that send us away, the calls that command us to bring her the meals she needs to survive.

It all started with a call.

I was standing on the ledge that leads from the center of the volcano. I spent most of my days on that ledge; it was the only place that I could seem to find…..ambiance. If you were to stay on the inside of the lava mountain, then there was no ambiance, there was no peace; all there was….was fear.

I stood on that ledge that which gave me a bleak overlook into the desolate murkiness. It was still better than being with the filth that swarmed the inside of the mountain behind me. I gazed out to see hoping that maybe just one dragon would listen to me; just one would come to sense and leave, just one.

I thought my wish had come true when an Infernohide came walking out on my ledge, but all hope was lost once he spoke. |{ Dark Sentry, it's almost time for the invasion. There are rumors that we will be returning to the Isle of Death. }| It wasn't actually called the Isle of Death; that was conjured from losing so many dragons. We've heard the name being shouted as the mortals attacked us. The screams of Berk.

We hated going to the Isle of Death; it was too risky. We could lose as many as ten dragons per invasion at that island. The only reason we keep going back was because the catch is of much larger feed at that island.

I lowered my head and sighed as the Infernohide awaited a response. If only we could stop this madness, if only we could change the way things worked. I turned my head towards my fellow dragon and looked at him in sorrow. || Don't you ever wonder what it would be like if things were….different? Like a life away from the Empress? ||

The Infernohide just sighed, disregarding the thought. |{ You know our purpose here; you need to stop trying to change the minds of everyone around you. Your fortunate the Empress has allowed you to live as long as you have. }|

Like I said…..lost.

I shook my head still not understanding how these dragons have convinced themselves so wrong. || Do you really think that you're better off under her control? ||

The dragon came up to my side so he could glare at me face to face. |{ You know that we are better off in her care. She gives us life, she gives us freedom, she makes us…}|

|| Slaves. || The dragon narrowed his eyes at me in disgrace. He had the same amount of bewilderment towards me as I did for him. How could _I _be so un-loyal to her? How could _I _be so disrespectful of the one who _let _me live? He rolled his eyes at me and turned to walk away in grief. |{ Just be ready for the invasion Dark Sentry! You know your duty and you're expected to honor it. }|

It wasn't much longer until she raised the call. My ear plates shook as she sent her orders. I cringed as her wretched voice reverberated through my mind. My side sensors throbbed as the Isle of Death was named our next target. She let loose a final vicious roar that was echoed through the cave, promoting everyone into the air and onto our targets.

Not everyone is sent to the Isle of Death, only about fifty of us are sent to the invasion; the rest of the group was usually assigned to either bring in local catches or to other isolated villages. Only those that are the most able-bodied and agile are assigned to the invasion; it becomes far too dangerous for the younglings and slower dragons to come along.

It was all a game to the Empress: if she was satisfied with the catch, we continued to live in peace. If she was left wanting more, death would haunt us all. The first to go were the hurt and elderly. If one was to be injured in an invasion, they would have a better chance living away from the Isle. At first she may seem to comfort you, but when you turn your back for just a moment or you are called to pay her respect, it would be the last you were seen.

I watched as the enormous drove above me beat their wings to escape the Isle for the invasion. They all knew better than to stick around, because the last one out…well, there never really was one.

I lowered my head once more and heaved a sigh of anguish. _We shouldn't be doing this. Everything we do…..is wrong._

The last few dragons escaped the top of the mountain and a final yelp chased them out, sending a shiver down my spine; tonight's victim was a Spikeshooter. With one claw, I carved a line into the stone beneath me, completing the set of five. I slowly looked up from where my paw rested and gazed upon each set, another five upon five that had been lost because of her game. I closed my eyes once more and saw every one of those dragons that had been lost over the past five years.

I leapt from my ledge and beat my wings in the direction of the Isle of Death, leaving behind the crude markings that covered every inch of the rock shelf where I settled.

The flight from the Isle to what the mortals call _Berk _was never one of my favorites. Every time we would head there, I could only pray that our numbers could come back the same. I stayed in the back of the drove as they advanced on the Isle of Death. My time would come later in the invasion.

First, the Infernohide would capture as much prey as possible without the mortals becoming aware. Next were the Boulderbelchers, who swept in and ripped from the ground all of the fish racks. By this time all of the mortals have awakened and would have been fighting back with a deadly force.

I watched as a Four-Eye filled one of the buildings with its highly explosive gas while the second head ignited the gas from below. I winced as a flaming mortal came barreling from his home, heading directly for the sea.

I wasn't fond of killing these mortals as I didn't see the point. There simply defending themselves; who wouldn't fight back as fifty ruthless dragons week after week would invade their village?

I never took part in retrieving the catch. I never allowed myself to be seen. I didn't need to. The Empress knew I was far too important for her to take my life. If I were not around during the invasions, she would be lucky to get any meal at all.

I had a specific purpose; when the dragons were struggling, I was to fly in and take out the launchers. The launchers were our biggest threat and could take out multiple dragons with one shot. I had to wait until I was needed; too soon, the mortals would have time to roll out smaller and more portable launchers. Too late…. it was self-explanatory.

I saw my cue; the Infernohide taking a severe beating from the alpha male of the village. It was time to take out the main tower. I angled my dive and gathered oxygen within my lungs to fuel my fire. The infamous whistle sounded my position and denoted the Infernohide to flee. I heard the usual screams of terror as the mortals ducked into cover.

"Night Fury! Get down!"

Night Fury….Now _that's _a good name for someone of _my _stature. I have been called many things, and by far, 'Night Fury' is the best. A perfect description of my dark obsidian appearance and the havoc I wreaked on their village; it was a suitable title for a dragon that should be feared by all.

Sorry, I'm rambling slightly. Have to stop that before it becomes a nasty habit.

The alpha male mortal leapt from the tower just before my blast impacted on the tower. I swooped down past my raging destruction just as the tower collapsed, giving the mortals a view of the faint outline of what _might_ be a 'Night Fury'.

They were smart to be afraid. They _should _be afraid. My accuracy was second to none. I had the most deadly blast of plasma this side of the Atlantic; probably further. I _had_ no Achilles heel; I _had_ no weakness; I _had_ no limitations; _I_ am a Dark Sentry.

According to the grapevine, that is….

Once high in the sky I saw that the tower was only half-obliterated. || That just won't do. ||I angled my wings to allow me to strike that tower once more. The whistle gave me a rapid sensation of confidence. I closed my eyes and fired that viscous liquid straight and true, annihilating the rest of that worthless structure.

The one joy I found in coming to these invasions was blowing up those brainless mortal's trivial little launchers. If those people wouldn't just keep rebuilding them, I may not come at all. It's almost as if they're asking me to destroy them.

Like now, for example; they leave this launcher out in the dark and have no one inside to man it. It's loaded and ready to fire, and just needs someone to pull the trigger. This happens almost every week. They build these massive buildings, leave them uninhabited, and persuade me to destroy them.

Maybe it's what they _want _me to do. Maybe they're planning to get revenge on me and are setting a trap.

A Boulderbelcher flew up alongside me for what I was assuming to thank me for my efforts. |{ What are you some kind of foolish dingbat? }|

Or not….

|{ You _know _not to go in for a second pass. You could have been killed! }| I snorted and rolled my eyes leisurely. || You really think I would let that happen? || The Boulderbelcher shook his head and gave me a look of disgust. |{ It doesn't matter what you _think_ you can do; you _never _go in for a second pass! You are supposed to be a Dark Sentry…Sentry! Do you even know what that means? }|

The dragon was testing his patience with me dearly. I was not one to be lectured on how to do my job at hand, especially by someone who can't even _think_ for themselves. I gave a menacing snarl to the ridiculous looking dragon as I narrowed my eyes into a death stare. || Do NOT tell me how to complete my task you insignificant little Boulderbelcher. I know exactly what my purpose is here. Would you like me to iterate yours? ||

The dragon was set in his place; he knew that his role was unimportant and he had no right on lecturing me. He gave one last grunt and turned to fly away. |{ It doesn't matter; were done here. It's time to return to the Isle. }|

Great. Now I don't even have time to blow up that last standing launcher. I snorted and turned to fly back to the Isle. I'd rather be plummeting into the gates of hell….

Screw it!

I twisted midair and threw myself into one last impressive dive to demolish that final tower. My whistle seemingly enhanced my speed and I gave that perfect blast of plasma to break my objective down into nothing but remnants. I soared past the wreckage and basked in the glory.

For about three seconds.

A sudden snap caught my attention, and suddenly I was encased within this vine trap in which swallowed me whole. One final roar in anger escaped my throat as I plunged towards the treetops at a greatly increasing speed.

So here I lay, entangled in this heap of what appeared to be a Dark Sentry, waiting for death to come and greet me. Maybe he would have mercy on my soul; maybe if I wasn't a dragon. If only I didn't take that last swing towards the tower, if only I wasn't so caught up in destroying those meaningless structures, I may have lived to see another day.

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Walking through the forest while searching for the most dark and reclusive dragon ever know was starting to seem a bit…wrong. I kicked a defenseless stone and watched it as it tumbled down the hill before me.

Why doesn't anyone ever believe me? Why does everyone assume that just because I'm 'Hiccup the Useless' means that I could never do anything worth mentioning?

I mean sure, there have been a few times where I _may _have played the part in the boy who cried dragon, but who hasn't? I know I hit that Night Fury; I saw it plunge to Raven's Point right before me!

Well, maybe not quite Raven's Point.

I have searched nearly the entire west side of this dejected island, and still no trace of that dragon. My notebook was becoming blacker with X's than the tan of the page.

Face it; my life sucks. You don't have to tell me twice. I've been wasting away on this island for far too long. Ever since mom died, everything's been…different.

Maybe _she _would believe me about the Night Fury. Who am I kidding? Not even she would believe me, but at least she would go along with it to make me feel better. It feels like it was just yesterday when she died, but it wasn't….it's been five long years.

It had been raining that night; no, it was down pouring. I remember hearing the first shouts that the dragons were attacking. It was so wrong; the dragons _never_ attacked when it was raining. Everyone got into position, and everything was going along like normal, well, normal for a dragon raid.

Then were heard it: the high pitched whistle that stopped everyone dead in their tracks. Everyone turned to each other confused; what was that sound? Even mom, who was taking control of the head watch tower stopped to figure out what the obscure sound was.

We were hit….hit hard.

No one had ever before seen such a powerful blast come from a dragon. At least, that's what we assumed it was. The blue fire struck the tower with an incredible force. No one had even thought about leaping away; it was an unknown entity.

Like I said, _everything _has been different.

Dad promised me that night as we huddled around her lifeless body that he would change. I'm sure he meant for the better, but no one knew that the raids were going to become worse and worse as the new dragon started participating more and more. The Vikings soon dubbed the deadly creature 'Night Fury', because it only attacked on the darkest of nights. Soon it seemed like almost every raid we had, involved that fatal dragon. We didn't know if it was one, or ten of them; all we knew was when the name of the dragon was screamed and we heard that fateful whistle, we had to get down.

I guess dad just was never able to make time for me anymore. We no longer took those fishing trips, where I would end up wandering off looking for trolls. We stopped having meals together. He even forced me to work with Gobber so he wouldn't have to look after me.

Dad was always so busy. It seemed like he never had the _desire_ spend time with me. I've tried so hard to impress him, but it always ends in a disaster. Now it's gotten to the point where avoiding each other seems easier than spending time together.

I closed my eyes and walked over the crest of the hill I've been longing for. Once I felt the ground even out below me I sprang my eyes open as if my mom was preparing my favorite meal to surprise me. Alas, there was no fresh mutton, nor the reclusive dragon I've been after this whole time. Even while being bound up by a bola, the dragon _still _managed to conceal itself to the point of not being found.

I started my quest onward once again as I crossed off, yet another spot on my drawing of Berk. I guess the agony of the moment set me off, because I ended up scribbling off the entire page with my temper.

"Oh the gods hate me." Bork the Bold had better luck than I do. Gobber told me the legend about Bork; apparently he was originally known as Bork the Very, Very Unfortunate. I guess 'Hiccup' isn't quite as bad as it seems.

Anyways, how can someone manage to lose a dragon! "Some people lose their knife or their mug; no, not me, I manage to lose an entire dragon!" I slapped a branch that was hanging off of a dead tree.

Not my brightest endeavor.

Apparently the Vikings weren't the only ones upset with me; Mother Nature had to join in and show me _her_ disgrace.

After I walked past the repulsive stick I looked up at the dead tree it sprouted form. Why is this tree broken in half? I gazed down the path of destruction and was astonished to see a three foot trench carved out from the hillside. What could have done this? There were immense claw marks engraved into the bark of the tree.

Evidently something big.

I leapt down into the trench and cautiously made my way over to a small lip in the hillside. Was this the dragon I've been searching for? Was this the dreaded Night Fury, finally brought down by the hands of a Viking?

My heart was ready to leap from my chest as I neared the edge of the lip. I slowly started to peer over the edge, only to immediately jerk back from the quick glance of a black dragon waiting on the other side.

_Please don't let it have seen me; please don't let it have seen me._ I listened for any movement on the other side of the ledge. Nothing; nothing at all. Maybe the dragon was already dead. We've come across dead dragons before, mostly because some other Viking got there first, or its killer was lurking nearby.

I took a deep breath and inched my vision over the lip. _There it is!_ The dragon that's caused this whole ordeal, the dragon that's kept me in this dreaded forest all day.

The Night Fury.

It was a magnificent sight; it truly was. A Night Fury: the dragon that killed my mother, the dragon that's brought so much destruction to our village, the dragon that has caused so much pain, trapped in _my_ bola. And Gobber said my inventions were all useless. I couldn't wait to show him the power that my bola launcher contained.

I jumped over the lip and slid down hill to hide just behind a large rock. I took my knife from the sheath and sent a silent prayer to the gods to watch over me. I took one final breath and lunged around the boulder to meet the downed dragon.

"Oh wow! I-I did it! Ohhhh I did it! This fixes everything! Yes!" I brought my leg up to show that I conquered the Night Fury. "_I _have brought down this mighty beast!" I pressed my foot into the leg of the menacing dragon in satisfaction.

The dragon had a different intention about my smugness.

As the dragon shrugged its shoulder and threw me off of its side, I gasped in horror of its living soul. I lay against the rock for just a moment as I attempted to grasp some air. Why is this dragon still alive? Why did it not die in the fall like any other dragon would have?

I gradually shifted my way forward as I pointed my knife straight towards the beast. I kept my arms locked with the knife directly in front. I guess I looked rather pathetic from another's point of view.

I gazed across the beaten dragons body as I inched myself closer. _How is this dragon still breathing?_ I glanced towards the wing that was still entangled in my bola's rope. Several gashes were cut into the membrane that held the wing in one piece. I rotated my vision towards the beasts head. Along the way I could see every one of the deep wounds still bleeding from the dragon's body. Its claws were still unsheathed from when it was tearing across the ground after it landed. I slowly looked up to the head of the beast.

Its eye. Its eye was slit open as it gave me the look of resentment. The dragon gave a lengthy groan as it peered into my soul. I shivered as I felt the reverberations coming from the beast. I glanced away from the Night Fury's stare and looked to my knife. I took a few deep breaths to help me accomplish what needed to be done.

I stared back down to the beast's head and wielded my knife threateningly. "I'm going to kill you dragon. I'm gonna- I'm gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father. I am a Viking." I lurched myself towards to beast's head to show my dominance. "I am a Viking!"

The beast gave a moan of discontentment as I roared to its face. I raised my knife above my head, ready to strike. I quickly glanced towards the beast as if it could have one final word. The Night Fury glared into me as it seemingly begged for my mercy. I shook my head from its gaze to give no hope of survival. It groaned as our gazes broke, letting its head thump back down on the ground.

I lifted the knife up and prepared for the blow, and even began the lunge towards the beast. My arms just wouldn't finish the task. I couldn't do it. _Why was this so hard?_ We've killed thousands of these dragons; why should this one be any different? My hands holding the blade plopped down on top of my head as I realized I couldn't do this.

I brought my hands down to rest at my side as I watched the enormous breaths escape from the beast. The Night Fury looked so beautiful; I never thought a dragon could be so stunningly gorgeous. Even while covered with cuts and bleeding wounds, this dragon looked greater than any other I've seen. I looked at the ropes constricting the airflow throughout the dragon's body. I saw the tension that was being forced into the Night Fury's muscles, I backed away.

"I did this." I twisted myself around to head back to the village; only to stop and return my gaze to the beast. I can't just leave it. What if someone else comes along and finishes the job?

I shrugged one final time and lowered my head in disgrace. Was I about to free this dragon?

Yes, yes I was.

I shot down to the dragon's side and sliced my way through the ropes with my knife, each one loosening their hold on the beast. One last cord; I pierced the strands and cut through as fast as possible. I turned my head and prepared to run.

The dragon had a different intention.

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_Plasma-_

_Noun-_

_An ionized state of matter._

_The highly viscous liquid that __surrounds __chromosomes__ and nucleoli. _

_The liquid part of blood or lymph, as distinguished from the suspended elements._

_A __living__ substance that __lives__ within the cell._

_###_

_DNA-_

_Noun-_

_A deoxyribonucleic acid._

_An extremely long macromolecule that is the main component of __chromosomes__ and is the material that transfers genetic characteristics in __all__ life forms._

_A molecule that encodes the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of __all__ known __living__ organisms._

_###_

_Genetic Mutation-_

_Noun-_

_Any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the __inherited__ nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism._

_Results__ from unrepaired damage to __DNA._

_Related words-_

_Mutating- __Verb_

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So this is the mortal that brought me down. This is the one that has caused me so much pain, so much agony, and so much misery; the one that effectively scripted my death. I pressed my claws down onto the boy's neck, further entrapping him in my grasp.

Is _this _all the mortals think I'm worth: a scrawny little hatchling? How could they send one of their younglings to execute a Dark Sentry?

I starred deep into his eyes, the color forest green with a hint of acid, so close to my very own. I squinted down at him slightly; I've never seen anyone with eyes that imitate my own.

He cringed and scooted himself as much as my paw would allow. _Do you really think I would **let **you escape puny mortal? No; I'm not as careless as you. I will have you suffer my wrath._

I gave several powerful breaths, each one rumbling a deadly growl within. In which way shall you perish tiny mortal? I refreshed my mind on how I had slaughtered my previous victims: the shredding of their insides with my razor-like claws, the impeccable single blast from within, my incredible jaw strength tearing away their skull.

_No; **you** deserve something new and un-attempted._

An onslaught of plasma, one of the only methods I've never had the pleasure of trying. A constant stream of the deadly vicious liquid should give this human the perfect amount of pain I want him to endure.

I inhaled some oxygen within my throat as I raised my self above the mortal's body. I glanced down once more; the boy was using his stringy arms to shield himself as if they were going to protect him. _There's no use puny mortal. Now, you die._

I felt the fire build to the perfect saturation within my throat and I unleashed its raging fury. The cobalt fluid descended rapidly onto the boy's chest, resulting in a violent shriek of pain from the boy.

Music to my ears.

I continued the blast of viscous liquid until the boy was lying at limp. I pulled away from the motionless body in satisfaction. The carcass was steaming from the massive wound across his chest. Plasma was eating through each layer of tissue, plunging through the membrane of organs and bone.

I narrowed my eyes once more at the hideous body below me. _No one_ takes down a Dark Sentry. I shook my head in disgust and turned to flee, leaving behind my glorious work for others to enjoy.

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Hiccup's still form lay sprawled out across the ground as the plasma burned through the flesh and bones. The highly viscous liquid seeped down through the skin and tissue and pierced the veins that ran through the boy's body.

There, the foreign plasma mixed with the blood that was still flowing towards the main artery. Chromosomes and DNA were coated with the viscous material, forming an encasement around the ribonucleic structure.

The freshly encoded DNA worked its way through the veins and into the heart as it gave a few final beats. The cadaver jerked as plasma started to work with the tissue cells to regenerate the destroyed tissue. Skin was speedily scabbing over the infected wound while the plasma spread violently through the boy's body.

Black skin.

The outer shell of the limp body started fading to an obsidian mass while new limbs started sprawling out of the corpse. A long tail continued out from the spinal cord, stretching far past the length of the body. Two bulging lumps appeared from behind and grew to be a full set of immense wings; the force with which they extended flipped the dark body over onto its chest.

The boy's face started morphing and mutating into a head with a short snout and large ear plates. Acid green streaks appeared in several spots across the body, mimicking the appearance of scar tissue over a number of deep gashes, healing to an unnatural shade. A newly restored heart beat forcefully within the dragons chest, pumping the altered DNA throughout the changed body it inhabited.

Air began flowing through the dragon's snout as the chest started to heave prominently. The eyelids on the beast shivered slightly as a distinct moan was released from the dragon's throat.

The Night Fury's eyes shot open to reveal refined slits, revealing the forest green with a hint of acid.

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AN:First off, I would like to personally thank: GuySuper, June Odyssey, and Gift of the Dragons. If it was not for them, this story would not be what it has become. That's right we don't have 1, not 2, but 3 beta readers for this story. Hopefully I don't let you and them all down by messing this up. I highly recommend reading the stories that these three authors have written. They are very well written and definitely worth your time.

What do you all think? Is this worth continuing? Has all my time and effort, as well as the betas, been worth your time to read?

Please review your opinion and let me know.

Thank you!


	2. Chapter 2: The Cold Truth

An: I give you:

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A Fury's Tribulation

The Cold Truth

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There are many benefits to being a dragon. One may imagine that breathing fire would be an excellent example, or one may think that having well-built scales would give them an advantage, but I assure you, if there is one thing that I would take over anything else to be a dragon, it would be the flight.

There is nothing more glorious than beating your wings and tilting your fins to gusts of the wind. It may seem like a lot of exertion: the continuous flapping of those powerful wings, the constant adjustments that need to be made to the trailing and tail fins, the strain of breathing the thin amount of oxygen. It's all worth it once you're in the air. All of the fine tuning and the effort that is put forth just seems to fade away, like you're not even doing it.

I can't simply explain the beauty and magnificence that is witnessed once in the sky. Once you reach the skies, there is no one else in the world except yourself. The atmosphere has a way of enhancing ones senses; it brings out the entire splendor that the world has to offer. The colors are more bright and vivid, the smells are cool and refreshing, and the sounds are of peace and tranquility. To put it simply, it would be to closest place to heaven without breaching the barrier itself.

It's a place that I will never have the opportunity to access again.

I lay down across the ground and let out a moan in sorrow. There was nothing that could be done to hurt a dragon more than to take away its flight. I could feel my heart beating slower than normal; it too, was feeling the pain and agony of not being able to fly. I rested my head down on my paws to peer out to sea. I watched as the birds and eagles hovered over the vast open water. I could feel my eyes beginning to fill with a salty liquid as I envied the creatures of the sky. I was once one of those. I was one of the most feared and agile creatures to ever inhabit air biome.

A Dark Sentry

Why did I have to be a Dark Sentry? Why did I have to be a part of the most endangered and reclusive species of dragons? If I was any other type, any at all, I would have had a chance. I saw three Spikeshooters fly through an archway that was just out to sea. A tear began to roll down my face as I knew I could never join them in that wonderful movement.

Now would be the perfect time to come across another Dark Sentry, but sadly, I have never had the benefit of seeing another one my entire life. Being born of the smallest, smartest and most powerful of dragon species has its benefits as well as its hindrances.

I never met my mother or father; evidently it's customary for the hatchlings of my species to develop on their own. If they last until adulthood, then they are worthy of being a Dark Sentry. To put it plain and simple, it's a hard life from the start.

I watched as my fellow dragons disappeared over the crest of the horizon. _They have no idea how lucky they are. _Life is easy for the other dragons, they are born into a loving and caring family, they are taught how to fly and protect themselves, and they potentially could even heal themselves from an injury such as mine. I let out a long breath and eyed the sea below.

It all comes down to the dragon's fire.

A dragon's fire is so much more powerful than it appears. If used in the right method, it can even regenerate a lost limb or heal a vicious wound.

I brought my tail around for my inspection; blood was still oozing form the sudden amputation. I noticed that some old bark and grass had gotten lodged into the crevice of the wound. They say that licking ones wounds can help cure the pain and help it to heal. I'm not sure if what they say is true, but I figure it doesn't hurt to try. I cocked my head slightly and began to roll my tongue up the side of my newly lightened tail. I will say that the cleaning of the blood and debris does seem to lessen the stinging; If only it could grow back.

Once satisfied that my tail could heal properly, I rose myself up and walked into the forest to find a stream of water.

_Walked_.

Something dragons very seldom do is walk. It's not that we don't enjoy walking, but we prefer the flying. Once you have witnessed the sky for what it has to offer, nothing else can compare. I headed deeper into the forest to find the stream. It wasn't too bad of a walk. If it weren't for the deadly mortals that inhabited this dejected island, then it would make a suitable place to reside in.

I've made my way through many places in my lifetime. I don't even know why I've insisted on staying with the helpless dragons back at the Isle. That dreaded volcano has definitely been the worst of my travels. The dragons are missing out on so much by being held within that tomb of a cave.

The other dragons don't even realize on what they are missing out on. I often wonder if they have ever thought about what they have left behind. The families that they used to attend to, the protection of their closest friends; they left all of it behind.

I came upon a deep cove that had a small pond at the bottom. From up at the edge and peering down, it looked so peaceful and serene. I was sure that there would be plenty of fish within that pond to keep me alive and well. I slowly made my way around the rim of the cove to make sure that there were no inhabitants. The last thing I needed was some family of mortals living down by the pond and trying to kill me while I devour the fish from within.

The cove seemed completely vacant. Just the soothing sounds of the birds and water rustling slightly. I looked over to the other side of the cove and noticed a large tree climbing the side of the cliff. It would provide a perfect resting place and enough cover form the rain in case of such inclement weather.

Without another thought I leapt over the edge and glided down to the bottom where the tree sprouted from the ground. I hit the ground and jogged over to the edge of the pond. The water was crystal clear and was filled with many fish from what I could see.

I drank some of the cool refreshing water and looked up to admire my new retreat. _Wow, that Cliff side is much higher than I thought; how am I going to get out of here if my tail is…..? _

_Ohhh crap._

###

* * *

###

I took a deep breath and felt my head spinning with an awful sensation running through my body. It was almost as if my body was asleep even though I was awake. I took some heavy breaths to help wake myself up. My breathing seemed so much louder than normal._ What happened to me?_

I could feel my muscles tense as I attempted to move them. My head was throbbing as I clenched my eyelids closed. My chest felt as if it was on fire; I could feel a painful burning sensation across my torso and stomach. _What __**did**__ happen to me?_

I tried to remember what I was doing last. I had been walking through the forest, tracking something. I couldn't remember what it was….._Dragon! _I had been tracking a dragon; a Night Fury. I was walking through the forest and saw it. I remembered the desperate look on the dragon's face and I….I cut it free.

My mind seemed to go blank after that. It could faintly remember the dragon pouncing, but on what? Me? My mind flashed back to the dragon's face. It was much closer, almost touching my own. I could see the hatred in its eyes. The Night Fury had leaned back and started to build up a fire blast, then….

It killed me, didn't it?

My eyes shot open to see the forest floor in front of me. I was still at the place where I freed the dragon. The cut bola was right in front of me. _How am I still alive? Why do I feel so heavy and hot?_

I closed my eyes once more and shook my head trying to get rid of this throbbing. I let out a long moan of pain, the sound resembling the Night Fury as it dropped its head in defeat. _Why do I sound so….different?_ I lifted my eyelids open and started to stretch my paws out in front of me.

_PAWS!?_

I frantically started waving the draconic limbs in front me, opening and closing my eyes to see if they would go away. _There is no way. I don't have paws. _I quickly turned my head and came across the body of a Night Fury. _That's __**my**__ body! _I couldn't believe the sight before me. Attached to me was a long slender black body that had two massive wings and a…..TAIL!

I quickly go to my feet, er, um, paws and started running around trying to get away from the body. "No, no, no, no, no!" _This isn't me I have to be dreaming. No of this has happened. _I saw a large tree in front of me and decided that I should bash my head into it. I thought that I could wake myself up with a good hit. I ran forward and drilled my forehead straight into the side of the large tree.

Again, not my brightest endeavor.

I stumbled to the side and fell back down on the ground. Now my head had two reasons to throb. I let out another dragon moan and clenched my eyes shut. "This isn't happening." All I heard was growling and hissing. "What?" A frantic sounding croon. "Hello?" Again, more croons. I dropped my head to the ground and let out a long sigh. _Great, now I can't even __**speak**__ normal. _

I tried to figure out what was happening to me. Why was I a dragon? Why would I have not died from the Night Fury's blast. I craned my head around to see my body once again. I tried to extend the massive wings and lash my tail, but it was as if the extra limbs weren't even there. I couldn't believe what was before me, or just me. _How could __**I**__ be a Night Fury?_

I looked over the body I was connected to, the sleek black finish across the scales and acid green scars spread across my body. I didn't remember the other Night Fury having those marks on _his_ body. I slowly started to get to my paws again, shaking while doing so. I took several deep breaths and turned towards the village to go home.

Home.

As I started my trek towards the village I started thinking about all the people there that would kill me on sight. I made it to the top of the hill and paused. _If I go back, then they will kill me for sure._ I dropped my head and let out short moan.

_I couldn't go back. If the villagers saw me like this, I wouldn't last five seconds; I couldn't go, wouldn't._ I raised my head and let out a deep sigh. _Why me? Why did I have to shoot down that Night Fury? Why didn't I just kill him like anyone else would have? _I looked back up towards the village once more and turned to head the other direction.

There was no use in going back. Even if I wasn't the dragon that I was now, all of the villagers hated me anyway. That look that my father had given me right before he commanded Gobber to take me home; that was one of sheer disappointment. It's not like I tried to screw up, it was an accident. I guess Hiccup is a fitting name after all; I just wished it wasn't 'Hiccup the Useless'.

I made it back to where my bola lay in shreds. _Stupid bola launcher. If you hadn't worked like every other one of my inventions, I would still be a human right now. _I lied down and rest my head on the ground. What was the point? If I were to stay out in the forest, someone would eventually find me. If I were to go back, I would be the first Night Fury to be seen, and the first to be slain.

I let out a shaky breath as my eyes started to fill with tears. The situation was starting to set in on me. I could never go back to see my father. I could never see the other teens. I could never see Gobber. As my vision started to blur I tightened my eyelids together and felt the tears stream down my face.

I literally had no one now. Even before, I could occasionally go to my father when in need or in pain. I used to be able to go to Gobber for advice and counsel. Now, I had no one.

I felt my wings drop to my side as if they were somehow attached to my emotions. I couldn't even figure out how to open them, but they had begun mocking my sadness by drooping lower and lower.

I try and curl in to myself to keep my body heat from escaping. It wasn't unnaturally cold out right now, but I knew that the temperature would soon be dropping for the night. Nights on Berk were always cold, and even in the blazing heat of the summer, it could still reach freezing at night.

I managed to wrap my tail around my body and shield my face form the outside world. The sun was beginning to set and it was going to be dark shortly. This was the first time that I would be spending the night out in the woods alone. My father and I had taken a few camping trips over the years, but he was always there to protect me. Now, I was alone.

Completely….alone.

The suns light finally slipped away and the only light that shed on the forest was from the dim crescent moon that was out tonight. I heard some movement in the woods behind me, followed by a long howl in the distance from a hungry wolf.

I tried to make myself seem smaller as I compressed my body together. _Please don't find me, please don't find me. _I had practically zero skills in defending myself as a human. I wouldn't have the first clue as a dragon.

The movement grew louder and closer. I could practically _feel _the presence of the wild animals. _No, no, no, no, no! Please just go away._

My luck was never that good.

I heard one vicious growl form my side and quickly glanced up to see the adversary. It was staring right at me. Slobber dripping from its mouth and teeth ready to bite into me and make me into a delectable banquet. I got to my feet and quickly started backing up away from the deadly wolf.

I only stopped when another ferocious growl came from behind me. I closed my eyes and felt my heart drop inside of me. There were two of them. I slowly turned my head and looked desperately over to the other creature. Its hatred of me and wanting to tear my flesh form my bones was prevalent in its eyes.

I took several deep breaths and prepared to fight the vicious animals. There was no way I would let them kill me without a fight. I may not be the most skilled or even remotely experienced in this field, but I would not go down without a fight.

The first wolf started walking towards me, eyeing me carefully. I let out terrifying growl and snarled at it to stay away. The wolf started gaining speed and leapt towards my neck. I managed to swipe my claws at it just before the vicious beast reached me, resulting in four deep gashes running down the animal's side. The wolf gave a quick wail and limped slightly, but gradually fell back into a fighting stance.

_Ok Hiccup, you can do this. Just use the claws, there the only thing that we know how to use. _Suddenly both of the wolves started running towards me. As soon as the first one came into range I lashed my claws at him and threw him on the ground below me, a deep gash ripping though its chest and spilling blood onto the ground from the wound. _Great, just one more to…._

The second wolf leapt onto my back and started tearing his claws into my hide. I let out a roar in pain as the animal ripped into my side. I threw my front legs forward, forcing the beast off of me and into the side of a tree. The wolf yelped at impact and slowly got up from the ground. The wound on its side was bleeding profusely from when I hit it earlier. The wolf gave a few rapid breaths and eyed me angrily. It knew that it couldn't win this fight, it had no chance. The animal shook its head and gave one more vicious growl before limping away in the opposite direction of me.

I gave a long sigh of relief that the animals were finally dealt with. I limped down the hill and away from the carcass that lay near the bola. I looked down my chest and saw the blood oozing out of my scales. A moan of pain and agony escaped my throat as I continued down the hill. Once I was away from the dead body of the wolf, I lay back down and curled back into a tight ball of a Night Fury.

My ears seemed to be twitching sporadically and I could feel my chest pulsating slightly. It must have been something to do with the gashes on my body. I tried to ignore the odd vibrations coming from myself and I rested my head down on my paws.

_Is this what it's like to be a dragon; having every living soul trying to kill you and eat your flesh? _I settled back down and clenched my eyes closed once again as tears started to roll down my cheek. _Is this the life I'm going to have to live now?_

###

* * *

###

I stared up at the sheer cliff before me looking for a plausible way out. _I am such an idiot! _I blasted a plasma bolt at the Cliff side and roared in anger to skies_. If I make enough of a racket, someone is bound to find me here in this hole._

I couldn't believe myself. How could I have let myself be so ignorant and oblivious that I wouldn't think of a way to get out of the cove? I shook my head and once again launched myself at the cliff side, furiously flapping my wings for all they were worth.

The inevitable happened.

I flew for a mere few feet then lost balance and crashed into the wall, which led me to crash into the ground shortly after. My body groaned in pain as I attempted to roll over onto my side.

The sun was nearly set when I decided to give up on throwing my body against the stone face. I figured that I had endured enough pain and accumulated enough scars for one session. I was sure to receive plenty more the following day.

I slumped down on the ground and listened to nature take its course. The birds letting out their last chirps before they go on to sleep, the water rustling gently within the cove that I lay, the wolf giving a terrifying howl to the wind as it signaled that it found its prey. Maybe the wolf had found me and was going to attempt an attack against a Dark Sentry.

I wouldn't be that lucky.

Wolves were some of my favorite meals when the fish supply had run down. It always made my day when they would come to attack the mighty Dark Sentry. The more the merrier. I could take out an entire pack if I needed to. Not many knew the _true _power that my species contained. One smooth swipe of my claw could rip a wolf into shreds.

I heard the tell-tale sound of one of the beasts being slammed into something and giving out a wail of pain. I smirked and rolled my eyes. _Looks like someone got to it first._

Wolves were fairly tough creatures; it had to be something with brute strength or something very skilled with combat. Suddenly I heard the roar of a dragon. I quickly raised my head and listened intently as my eyes went to mere slits. That wasn't just any dragon roar, it was another Dark Sentry.

I knew that roar of pain. Even being on the top of the food chain, you would still manage to get in fights that were nearly impossible to prevail. My ear plates twitched sporadically to listen for any new sounds from the beast. One final yelp came to me. It wasn't the dragon though; it must have killed the wolf, or at the least, severely injured it.

I stood in shock of hearing the roar of the Dark Sentry. It had to be one, I just knew it. This could solve my problems for good. I could get that dragon to help me with my useless tailfin.

I sent out my call to get the dragon's attention. I repeated the call for help several times over to get a response, but I felt nothing come back to me. _What's wrong with this Sentry? Was he killed by one measly wolf? _I shook my head and repeated the call; he had to hear it. I knew I had to be doing it correctly. It was how all the other dragons communicated between _their_ species.

I waited patiently for seemingly hours for a response, but it never came. I couldn't believe it. Either the dragon was killed, or they are so arrogant that they completely ignore a deliberate call for help.

Nothing ever came.

I gave a long sigh and curled back into a ball on the cove floor. I was doomed to stay on this dejected island for the rest of my life. At least at this rate the wait would be short.

I brought my head up and blew a stream of plasma onto the ground before me. I knew it was going to be a cool night. Dragons have plenty of fire within their bodies, but a cool night without any warmth from the outside would make any dragon miserable. There was nothing worse than having a raging fire on the inside, only to be freezing on the outside. The temperature differences could send the dragon's body into shock and eventually take their life if not taken care of.

It was one of the first things a dragon had to learn when they were hatchlings, breath fire. It not only acts as a weapon, but serves as a lifeline when given the toughest circumstances. For a Dark Sentry, it's even harder; our fire comes from a different place within our bodies and is harder to focus on, but it is also what gives us the most powerful of all dragon fire.

It didn't take me long to find out how to use my fire after I had hatched. I probably only suffered through one or two nights without the aid. I was fortunate to be born in the hottest time of year and towards the south of this wretched place. I wouldn't want to have to go without my fire on a night like tonight; I would surely go into a state of shock.

I brought my wing around my body to help hold in the heat from my fire. I couldn't stop thinking of that other dragon. _What was it thinking?_ Was that what all other Dark Sentries acted like? When a brother is in need of help, do we just leave him to die?

I have never seen another dragon be so cruel and uncaring. Maybe that is why I never met my mother or father; maybe that is why I have never seen another one of my species.

We were cruel and heartless creatures, but _I_ wasn't, was I?

###

* * *

###

I didn't sleep a wink through the night. The cold from outside kept me awake the entire time. I shivered relentlessly; I couldn't stop my body from constantly shaking. I knew that it was trying to warm my outer layer of skin, uh, scales, but it was more violent than anything I had ever experienced.

My eyes were drooping and my movement was sluggish. My body was in pain from not only the cold, but the gashes on my stomach were still pulsing in pain.

I slowly got to my feet and continued down the hill at which I chose to rest for the night. I trudged through the forest and made my way through several overgrown bushes and over fallen trees. All the Vikings ever did was resent me, as if I never should have been born. I'd tried so hard to become friends with the others in the village, but they just ran away like I had some contagious disease.

The only friend I ever had growing up was Fishlegs; he would probably be the only one who wouldn't try and kill me like this now. We enjoyed hanging out together when we were young and when none of the teenagers were focused on killing dragons, but when the other kids started harassing me and making fun of me for screwing up, he wouldn't be seen with me anymore.

The only other friend I had growing up was mom. She was always willing to play with me when there was no one else to. She would play my favorite games of hide-and-seek and keep away, but she would always make sure I won.

Dad never bothered to play games, he was always too busy. After mom died, I would go and ask him to play with me, but I always got the same answer: 'Maybe later son'. After a few more years the answer changed into, 'I'm too busy right now,' then into, 'Shouldn't you be focused on other more important things Hiccup?'.

I shook myself violently from the severe temperature difference within my body. It was so strange, my insides felt like a fire pit, but everything on the outside was as cold as ice. The cold almost seemed to be getting worse; I had to find someplace to warm myself up, and quick.

My eyes started to well up with tears as I crept underneath a large tree and into a crevice of the rock wall. Once through the crevice I stared in awe of the beautiful sight before me. It was a magnificent cove with a large pond on the side. I thought back to moments when I would go swimming in the ponds scattered across Berk. It was a joyous activity that would rush away any bad or hurtful memories.

I looked around the cove floor and saw that it appeared uninhabited. I slowly made my way over to the edge of the rock ledge and peered over the rim. It was a pretty steep drop and I didn't think that jumping down would be my best course of action.

Nature made my decision for me.

I slipped on the rocks and started tumbling down the hillside. I screeched in terror and fear as the floor of the cove came faster and faster. Suddenly, just before I hit the ground a black blur slammed into me and pushed me across the floor of the cove, preventing the inevitable injuries I would have gained.

I groaned in pain and squeezed my eyes shut in the pain now in my side. "Ohhh….Did it have to hit me so hard?" I was talking to myself rather than to whatever had hit me.

|| If I didn't hit you than you would have broken your neck with that kind of fall. ||

I shot open my eyes to see who the being was that spoke. I nervously scanned my surroundings and came across a black dragon heaving slightly to my left.

"Night Fury."

###

* * *

###

I shook my head form the abrupt hit that I had placed on the other dragon. He was frantically looking around until his eyes came to rest upon me. I was about to ask for a thanks from him, but then he spoke. "Night Fury."

It was only then did I notice that he also was a Dark Sentry; right before my very eyes, another Dark Sentry. I've gone my whole life without seeing another one of my species and now, the perfect timing, a Dark Sentry. It must have been the one that was making the commotion last night. _But what did he just call me?_

I shook my head once more in confusion. || What did you just call me? ||

The dragon shuffled to his feet only to fall once more. What was wrong with this dragon? Had he been scared of me for some reason? What were those marks across his body?

He backed away as fast as his legs would allow him to and clumsily fell back onto the dirt. "Please, don't hurt me! I didn't mean to intrude on your home."

There was something wrong with this dragon, I could almost smell it; come to think of it, I _could_ smell it. He had the same stench that the mortals had. He reeked of their village; was he a prisoner of theirs?

I slowly made my way over to him and glared down at him. || _What_ did you just call me? ||

He slowly uncovered one of his eyes to look up at me as his body was shaking violently. "N-Night Fury?"

I didn't even comprehend what the Sentry had said; all I could do was stare at his eye. I knew that eye; I knew exactly who had that eye. I had only seen one other being in the world to have the same shade of eye as me.

The mortal.

It all started adding up in my head, the rather clumsy dragon, the fear of my presence, the eyes, and the thought of being called a 'Night Fury'. It was him, it had to be.

|| You're the mortal that I had killed aren't you? ||

He looked up at me trying to make himself look smaller, despite being noticeably smaller than me already. "Well, I'm not sure if you really _killed _me or not."

I roared into his face with a deafening tone. He dared to mock me when I could have so easily extinguished him; I would make sure he was dead this time. He threw paws back over his head and cowered in fear from me. "Please! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to hurt you. I just want to be a human again."

Tears were flowing from beneath his paws and landing on the ground below him. I rolled my eyes at the pathetic creature. I gave a huff and escorted myself to the other side of the cove to let him cry alone. As I walked away, I could hear his monotone going on and on. "I just want to be a human. I just want to be a human. I just want to be a human."

Human.

Was that what these inferior creatures called themselves? Was that what they thought themselves to be? Human? That would imply that what they did to my species was humane; I would think not.

I laid down far enough away from the dragon so that I wouldn't have to listen to his constant rambling. I glared over to him and pondered what to do with his worthless body.

Speaking of his body, why was he shaking so much? Ever since he landed he had been shivering and shaking. I studied his movement for a moment longer until it hit me.

The cold.

He didn't make a fire last night to keep himself warm. He must have been freezing from the temperature difference in his body. It seemed that nature was going to make my decision for me. I wouldn't have to do anything. The dragon would soon go into shock and his body would give up soon after. I wouldn't have to lift a claw.

I watched the mortal-dragon continuously shake dramatically until I closed my eyes being contempt. I laid in peace as I waited for the dragon to fall into complete silence.

If only.

I heard some movement just to the front of me and I snapped my eyes open. There he was standing in front of me shivering fiercely and tears streaming down his face to land on the ground. I let out a low growl and glared at him angrily. || What do you want mortal? ||

The dragon lowered his head and took a few steps backwards. "P-Please. I-I'm so c-cold and t-tired, can you h-help me? P-Please?"

Never have I seen a dragon beg for sympathy from an opponent. He was clearly miserable; he wouldn't last through the day if he wasn't warmed up quickly. || Why should _I _help you? ||

He looked up at me almost shocked to see me not jumping up to save him. "P-Please, I don't w-want to die!" His legs chose then to give out from the blood not circulating properly. He let out a wail in pain as more tears began to flow down his cheek. "I-I'll leave. I'll leave as soon as I c-can. Please, j-just help me."

I don't know what possessed me while watching the dragon before me struggle in pain. Maybe it was the thought of seeing a fellow Dark Sentry dying with his only possible hope of survival being me. Maybe it was the thought that no one deserved to die from being frozen from shock. Whatever the reason was, I blew a blast of fire straight at the ground in front of the dragon and shook my head at him in disgrace. He looked up at me in horror as if I was about to kill him. || Curl yourself around it. If you want to live, then that is your only hope. ||

I walked a few more feet away from the Sentry and laid my eyes across his body once again. He slowly wrapped his tail around the heat source and glanced back over to me. He could no longer speak. He stared over at me wide-eyed and I could have sworn I heard him say thank you through my thoughts.

I rolled my eyes and rested my head back down onto my paws. I never thought I would help a dying mortal, especially one that tried to kill me. What was the world coming to?

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AN: What did you all think? Was it what you were expecting? Was it worth the read? I really appreciate all the reviews and Favorite/Follows. It the reason I continue writing.

Big Thanks to the beta readers and the viewers!


	3. Chapter 3: The Impossible

AN: We are back! I am pretty happy with this chapter.

I give you:

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A Fury's Tribulation

The Impossible

* * *

The world around us never ceases to amaze me. There are so many unexplained things that occur around us that seem impossible or even incomprehensible. I've seen my fair share of the unexplained: a dragon that can use nothing but its mind to control nearly a whole species, and a species of 'humans' that will insist on rebuilding their home week after week instead of simply moving away, and thus the things I've seen what seems impossible with each and every dragon.

There have always been dragons out there that seem to do the inconceivable. There are dragons that use their skin to blend in perfectly with their surroundings; there are dragons that tunnel through the earth with dozens of rows of serrated teeth. There is even a kind of dragon that can ride the lightning as it strikes down to the ground. I would have thought that I would have seen it all by now in my life.

Would have.

Even after seeing all that I have throughout my lifetime, I never thought I would have come across _this. _The _this _that I'm talking about, is a dragon. This isn't just any dragon though, for he has done the impossible, and he has done what no living being has ever done before. He has taken on the body of what he believes to be a 'Night Fury'.

I've survived my life up until now to never witness another one of my species. Every time I would come across a dragon that is unbeknownst to me, he would have no idea who or what I was. Now, after the strangest encounter with a mortal, he has taken my form.

I was still staring over at the dragon who was still shivering beyond what I thought was possible. His eyes were clenched tightly and his body was coiled into a compact ball centered around a warmed spot on the ground beneath him.

The dragon hasn't moved an inch since he curled around that ball of fire I blew on the ground for him, other than the obvious shivering of course. I still had my eyes fixed upon him as thin slits. He truly baffled me. I couldn't stop questioning how and why he was here. What caused this to happen to him? What did I do to him to cause him to take my form? What happened inside of his body to transform it into the body of a Dark Sentry?

My eyes scanned over his thin figure. His small body nearly imitated my very own with only subtle differences, as if the transformation didn't fully take effect. The only differences between him and me were that his body was slightly smaller and thinner than mine, and he had several acid green marks sporadically imprinted across his scales. This was something that puzzled me dearly. Why would he have those marks but not me? The scars' color was the same as his eyes, but I had the same exact color as him. Why would I not have those marks?

There were many things that didn't make sense, such as why he was here curled around my ball of fire. The biggest question I had, though, was how. How did he manage to survive the fatal blast of plasma that I poured onto his body? How did that attack force his body to accept the plasma and take it over as a new form?

It had been several hours since my encounter with the Sentry. I just couldn't take my eyes off of him. His body was starting twitch and shiver more sporadically. My fire was no longer a suitable heat source. I could tell that he was beginning to become more and more afraid. He was scared that the heat would no longer be enough for him; he was scared that he was going to lose his life even though I had helped him.

I racked my brain on what to do with him. I couldn't decide on whether to let him die, or help him again. I couldn't trust the mortal; for all I knew, he could have killed dozens of my fellow species. He was the one that shot me down and nearly killed me!

_But he didn't._

He didn't stab his weapon into my scales. He didn't tear out my heart and take it to his father. He couldn't do it. Maybe this was why I couldn't let him die right here in front of me. Now, he was the one at my mercy, I was the one to choose whether he gets to live or die. _I _had to make the decision.

I couldn't stop think of the consequences of if I were to let him live. _What if I heal him and he returns with his tribe only to kill me? What if he learns too much and kills me himself? _Right now, I had the upper paw, and I need to use it wisely.

My mind kept drifting back to my tail. I knew that if I were to teach him to use his fire correctly, he could heal my tail, but if I taught him and he used it against me and started killing other dragons…. I couldn't have that hang on my shoulders, even if it meant that I died anyway.

The other dragons were too important to me for me to let one mortal in a Sentry's form go on a rampage. I didn't want to die though.

_Damn it! Why do all the decisions have to be made by me?! I didn't ask for this role!_

I shook my head in rage and let out a snort of annoyance accompanied by a menacing growl. The other Sentry noticed my anger and peered over, completely exhausted. He was worn out past his limits; he wouldn't even be able to stand on his paws if his life depended on it. His jaw was trembling as he let out a moan of pain and sorrow.

His pitiful look was starting to drive my anger even further. _Was he this pathetic as a mortal? _It bothered me on why did try to kill me back on the hill. If he had stabbed me even one time, I would have a completely valid excuse to leaves him to die, but no, he didn't. I couldn't hold in the question any longer. His eyes were still staring over at me, clearly distraught and worried. I had to find out why.

|| Why didn't you kill me back there? ||

He clenched his eyes once more and slowly opened them to see me again. He sounded as if every ounce of energy had been spent from his body. "W-What?" He was still shaking, but his movements were slowing; his body was giving up. It was now or never.

I let out a long sigh trying to overlook his inability to listen. || Why did you not just kill me back there? Why didn't you do as you said you were going and cut out my heart? ||

The dragon let out a shaky breath. He knew that this question was going to arise at some point. He knew he would have to answer for his reasoning. "I-I couldn't."

I let out a vicious growl and got to my feet. I paced over to his limp body and glared into his eyes. || That's a lie and you know it! You better tell me the truth or I will make sure you don't live to see another day… Now tell me, why didn't you kill me? ||

The Sentry let out a pained moan and looked back up at me with desperate eyes. "Y-you looked as frightened…..as I was." He closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. The loss of energy was taking its toll. He was now either going to die, or have to be drastically warmed up, and quickly. A final tear ran down his face as he took a few shaky breaths. "I'm sorry."

I couldn't understand this mortal anymore. He was practically killed by a dragon, he was attacked by a wolf, taken the edge of life and death by the freezing cold, and now he was apologizing to the one who wanted him dead in the first place. He was truly desperate for my help and was going to take any chance to survive.

Something I would do.

I scanned the dragon's body and let out a huff. _I did this. _I walked next to the dragon so I could lie down next to him. _Am I about to save this mortal?_

Yes, yes I was.

I blew one more blast of fire in the center of the other dragon's coil and lay down against his freezing side. His body tensed slightly as he felt my presence. I took my wing and wrapped it around the rest of his body.

Of all things to happen, I ended up saving a mortal, one who would most likely kill me later. I couldn't believe what had come over me. I, of all dragons, was saving a mortals life.

###

* * *

###

I let out a shaky breath as I woke from my slumber. My body was still so intensely cold, but was finally starting to warm up. I could feel something wrapped around my body and I started to open my eyes and look around.

To my pleasant surprise, the Night Fury was lying right next to me with his wing wrapped around my body to help insulate me from the cold. I looked over at his head which was lying peacefully on the ground. His eyes shot open and he was starring right at me. I jolted back against his wing.

|| Don't. The more you move around, the more the cool air you will let penetrate your scales. You need to stay under my wing until your body can withstand the outside temperature. ||

I looked warily back at him and lowered myself back down to the ground next to him. I pulled my tail tightly around the Night Fury's blast of fire to help keep my body warm. I felt bad that the dragon had to baby-sit me to stay alive. _Gods, can't I do anything right, like ever? _I let out a long sigh in which the Night Fury shifted slightly around me.

|| What now? Are you uncomfortable with me next to you or something?! || His tone was harsh and insensitive. || Because believe me, I don't want to be here just as much as you. ||

I felt my heart drop slightly at the thought of him leaving. "No, please. I'm sorry…..I-I just can't believe you're helping me."

I felt his breath on the back of my neck. I was so nervous to actually be relying on a dragon. At any time, he could just get up and walk away without a second thought. I would be dead within the hour. || Well neither can I….Which leads me to my conditions. ||

My ears perked up at the statement. "What conditions?"

He paused for a moment; I could feel him staring at the back of my head.

|| I'm not going to just let you live only for you to try and kill me later-||

"But I would never do-"

|| Don't interrupt me! || There was absolute silence as I waited to hear him out. || Like I was saying…. I'm not going to save you only to have you kill me in the end. If you don't comply with what I have you do, then I'm going to get up right now and leave you here to die. ||

My heart was pounding from the thought of him leaving me. I would do anything for him to stay at my side, but what was he going to have me do? "What are the conditions?"

The dragon behind me sighed and let out a deep breath. || First: you will harm neither me nor any other dragon that you come across…. Ever! || I jolted slightly but nodded firmly knowing he was starring right at me. || Second: you will leave this cove as soon as you are able, and I never want to see your face again. ||

My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach. _Where was I to go? What would happen to me if the Vikings found me? Who could change me back in to a human? _I dropped my head to the ground and felt a tear trickle down my face.

|| Do you agree? || I clenched my eyes shut and tried not to make it obvious that I was crying. I had no family out in the wilderness. I had no one to help me when I was hurt or in pain. I had no one to help keep me warm. I wouldn't survive alone. "Why don't you just kill me now then?" I sniffed as another tear streamed down my face.

The Night Fury quickly got to his feet and paced around to look me in the eye. I wasn't going look back. If he made me leave, then he was effectively killing me anyways.

|| You _want_ me to kill you?! ||

I took my paw and wrapped it over my head to cover my eyes. "If you forced me to leave then I will be dead anyway."

He said nothing. It seemed he was shocked that I would rather him kill me than to try and live in the woods. My body started shivering again from the Night Fury no longer being at my side. "I can't survive without you helping me just from the cold! How do you think I would do against an attack?"

I took my paw back and stared coldly back up at him. He was looking down at my feet, but seemed to be thinking deeply on the subject. "Can you just change me back to a human please? I will leave immediately."

What I heard next was the last nail in my coffin.

|| I can't change you back. || I looked up at him completely shocked.

"B-But you changed me into this. You have to be able to change me back! If I stay a dragon, I'll _never_ see my family again!"

He shook his head at me and sighed. || I have no idea how you became a dragon. All I know is that I tried to kill you and then you came back to me…|| He gestured to me with his paw. || Like this. ||

I lowered my eyes and stared at the dirt before me. Another tear ran down my face. So that was it. All he did was try to kill me, and now I was a Night Fury. I could never go back to my village, I could never get married, and I could never have kids. Life, for me, was over. I spoke up just loud enough for him to hear me. "Well, you might as well finish the job then." I closed my eyes and waited for death to come, but the sounds that were audible were the growls reverberating from the Night Fury.

|| What are you talking about? You're just giving up. You're just going to let yourself die! || I open my eyes and glared back up at him. "What do you expect me to do? I'm a freaking dragon! I no longer have a life. I no longer have a family. I no longer have a place to live or have any of the necessary skills to be a dragon…. I'm not like you! I can't just get up and go back to my family or flock or whatever you call it."

The Night Fury brought his tail around and smacked me across the face. || You think you've had it rough! You think you've had it hard! || He growled ferociously into my face looking ready to tear me to shreds. || That's how it's been my _whole _life! I never had a mother or father that cared if I lived or died! I have never even seen them!... I have gone my entire life without someone there for me to lean on. I had to raise myself and figure out how to survive alone! You think _you _have it hard! || He blasted a ball of plasma at the cliff side which caused several rocks to come tumbling down.

|| You have no idea what a hard life is. You have stepped into my place for one day, and now you want to just give up. You really are a disgrace. I hope that _all _the mortals aren't like you. ||

I looked down in shame. I never would have thought someone could have been brought up in such terrible conditions. I wouldn't have made it two days if my parents left me as I was born. I slowly looked back up to him. He was breathing heavily and glaring down at me. "I'm sorry. I had no idea."

He softened his expression and came back around to lie next to me. By now I was shivering violently again. || Yes, well no one ever does. People don't think about how someone else might have it harder than them. They only ever think that they have it worse than everyone else…. I have probably had a harder life than most, but I will never try and make people feel sorry for me. I am proud of what I have accomplished over my lifetime. Little can say they have done what I have. ||

I swallowed any dignity that I had left before I spoke up again.

"You're right…. I'm _not_ like the other Vikings. I did have a mother and a father, but my mom was killed about five years ago and my father chose to ignore me whenever I speak." I let out a long sigh as I realized I was opening up to the one that would most likely kill me. "I've never had any real friends and have always been the laughing stock of the tribe….To be honest, I don't think that anyone in that village would have tried to save me like you did."

There was a pause while the Night Fury wrapped his wing back around my body. I gave a heartfelt croon and closed my eyes in contentment. || You mean that your own village would leave you out to die in the cold? ||

I nodded, sighing as I thought back to the people back in the village. I remembered how poorly Snotlout treated me. I remembered how every time I rounded a corner I was greeted with disapproving faces and scowls. I remembered how not one of them cared if I lived or died.

"They would probably encourage it."

###

* * *

###

We laid there for hours until the sun finally set and the cold was beginning to come in again. The Sentry's scales were still cold to the touch, but at least his shivering had stopped. Occasionally I would pull my wing back and blow a stream of plasma into the coil in which he was wrapped up in.

He was so different than any other dragon I had come across. While his upbringing was not quite as harsh as my very own, he did seem to have it harder than most. From what I could tell, he was an outcast of their village. No one ever wanted to deal with him or be around him. He was the only other dragon that I ever seemed to have anything in common with.

His body twitched as he seemed to awaken. I rolled my eyes, but I knew that he needed to get some rest. It was still hard for me to believe that I was taking pity on this dragon. I have never been one to even associate with other dragons, much less help one.

I looked up at the night sky with envy. It's true what they say; you never know what you had until it's gone. The sky tonight was perfectly clear, not a cloud in sight. These were my favorite of nights. I could fly across at great speeds and no one would even know I was there. My midnight black hide blended perfectly with the dark sky giving me perfect camouflage.

It was always so quiet on nights like tonight. Once, I would be in the air and being able to see for miles on end, it had been glorious.

But now, it was impossible.

My only hope would be to come across another Dark Sentry. I pushed the idea aside of using _this _particular dragon beside me. He wouldn't be able to endure the fire needed to regenerate my tailfin. That would be even if I could manage to train him to use his fire correctly.

It all led back to whether I could trust him though. It would be a risk just teaching him to _walk_ properly. Teaching him to fly or to breathe his fire…..It could end badly. I looked back down from the night sky to the Sentry lying next to me. He had his head turned and was staring right at me.

|| It's rude to stare you know. || He quickly looked to the ground below and I smirked.

"Sorry, you were looking at the sky….. You wish you were flying don't you?" I scoffed at the insinuation. || What made you think that? || He pawed the ground nervously just under his head. "You just looked like you were longing to be there….You can go."

I shook my head in response trying to understand what he just said. || What? ||

He looked back up to me somewhat reluctantly. "You can go. I know that is where you want to be, and I can survive without you for a few hours if that is what you want."

He really had no idea. It figured; the mortals were completely oblivious to what they did to our kind. They thought they could simply shoot down any random dragon and we could still fly away completely unscathed. I snorted and glared down at him. || Is this a joke or do you really not know? ||

He shrank down onto his paws even more than I thought possible. "What? No. I just thought that you would…"

|| I can't fly damn it! ||

His face went from cowering to confusion. "What? But you were flying when I shot you down. Why could you….Oww!" I slapped him on the side of his head to bring his attention to my freshly amputated tailfin. || _This_ is why I can no longer fly! _You _shot me down and my tailfin was ripped clean off….. Without that tailfin, I can no longer get airborne. The most I will ever be able to do is take short glides. Because of you, it's now impossible for me to fly.||

The Sentry lay completely still and made no indication that he was going to respond. The only sounds were my heavy breathing and the cool breeze as it came by. The dragon beneath my wing was clearly in shock on what his careless weapon had done to me. He shrunk his head down as if I were going to thrash my claws at his throat. He continued to vibrate as the cool air managed to penetrate his dark scales. || Did you really think that your weapon would have no consequences? ||

The Sentry swallowed harshly as he prepared to speak; he was petrified as to what I would do to him for his deadly feat. "I had no idea that you would lose your flight, but…." I glared down at the back of his head as he eyed the ground nervously.

|| But what? ||

He sighed and closed his eyes in shame. "We never thought of the consequences. We always thought that dragons were mindless beasts that did nothing but terrorize us and steal our food. We didn't…."

|| How could you think that we were mindless?! Every living creature has a mind of their own. It's not like we're just put on this world to ruin your lives. You and your village are not the center of the world! ||

The dragon huffed and turned his head so that he could speak to me face to face. "I know! Especially now that I've met you! It's just that we don't think about you guys having some kind of culture and lives. All that we knew was that you raided us week after week and we lost more and more lives every time." He shook his head and turned back away from me so that he could lay his head on his paws comfortably. "Look, all I'm trying to say is that I'm sorry about your tail, but from what you were doing to our village, I don't think it was wrongfully intended."

My heart was beating furiously. How could he think that what he did was right? Taking away a dragons flight was essentially giving them death sentence. || So you think that just killing dragons is completely justifiable because we have taken food from your village. || The Sentry let out a long breath of agony. "You have killed hundreds of us!..."

|| And you have killed thousands of us! ||

"I know!"

His words echoed throughout my mind. If any other dragons were in the area, I'm sure they would be utterly confused by our strange argument. "I _still _think that what you have done to our village was unforgivable. Do you even realize what you and the other dragons have done to us?!" I saw a tear fall down the corner of his eye just before he turned slightly to stay out of view. "You said that you never had a family to grow up with, and I'm sure that was awful, but do you understand how devastating it is to lose someone that was your only friend and your companion?"

His question puzzled me dearly. He was right, while I never had a family while growing up; I also never became close to someone and never truly loved anyone. _Had he lost someone that was dear to him?_

The dragon lowered his head back down onto his paws as another tear ran down his face. "I doubt you would remember, but five years ago, probably the first time you came to Berk, you fired on us. That blast that you directed to the main tower, it killed my mother."

_Damn it._

Silence surrounded us as if we had fallen into the deep abyss of the sea. I _did _remember that night, how could I have not? It was my first invasion being a part of this drove. It was the first time I had gone out on a feeding run for the Empress.

Thinking back, it almost seemed right what the Empress was having everyone do. She was still in her early stages of mind controlling. She had the ability to sway ones opinion, but she didn't use it threateningly like she would do today. She would simply ask for us to bring her some food as she didn't want to retreat from the Isle. Her voice was soft and caressing to ears. We had no issues with helping her in her predicament.

If only we could have seen what she would have become.

The soothing tone that she used to simply inquire and request with had been completely done away with. Now, it consists of threats and terrorization that if food isn't returned, the dragons become her meal.

I remembered her final statement she made just as we had left the Isle on that day. 'Make me proud, Dark Sentry'. While I knew very well that I was a part of the species, she was the first to ever vocalize it to me. To be a Dark Sentry, one had to be very intelligent and capable. They had to be a divine leader that could be depended upon when needed most.

_I am the epitome of a Dark Sentry._

When she named me a 'true' Dark Sentry that night, I knew that I had to live up to the name. I had to do something memorable, I had to do something unforgettable, and that was just what I did.

I came down in that impressive dive and built my fire within my gaseous stomach. I had intentionally added as much plasma to the fire as possible to ensure maximum destruction. The infamous whistle sounded my attack and the mortals did nothing but stand in confusion and perplexity. I cast the bright blast onto the main tower and destroyed the structure into nothing but bits and shards. The blast was so powerful that it knocked the mortal from their feet just from the concussion of the impact.

_I_ was proud.

But apparently the shivering dragon that was beneath my wing wasn't the only one who didn't think of the consequences. I guess that I would most likely be upset if someone were to kill on a person that was beloved to me, and get away with it. I never once thought that my actions would cause so much pain and hurt for years to come, but fate has a funny way of introducing those who never would have intended on meeting the other. I never would have thought that I would come across a lanky teenage mortal that suddenly transformed into a Dark Sentry. I had a feeling the dragon sitting underneath my wing never intended on being thrown into a completely different body and lifestyle. We were both in for a surprise when fate had us come together.

The aforementioned dragon turned his head to be in view of me. Tear tracks were glistening on his cheek. He shivered as the cold was rushing around his body. "Do you still think I'm the only one who doesn't think of the consequences?" I did nothing but stare into those luminous acidic eyes of the 'Night Fury'. We both had regrets in our lives, but we both knew that living in the past was not going to get us anywhere.

It was time to change the impossible.

###

* * *

###

I awaited a response for what seemed like ages. The Night Fury continued to stare at me. _Maybe what I said had an effect on him. _I wished that none of this would have happened, if only I had been a few seconds later when firing that bola, if only I had been aiming just a little bit higher…

But no…

Vikings are always talking about how each and every one of us has a destiny. I never really thought about it too much. It wasn't that I didn't believe them; it was that I _couldn't_ believe them. How could the gods allow someone to have such a terrible and unfortunate life such as mine, or as I have just found out, the Night Fury's.

Each and every day of my life I would wake up and ponder whether or not to go outside. I would fear of what lurked on the other side of that door leading to the outside world from my safe and secluded home. It was a usual occurrence to come outside and be beaten over the head by my obnoxious cousin or be tormented every waking moment by the ruthless antics of the twins. I would huddle in the corner of my room until my father would burst through the door demanding that I make a showing of myself to the outside public.

Unfortunately, as soon as my father would turn his shoulder or step out of earshot, my life would turn from bad to worse. It was as if the other teenagers saved up all their anger towards me over time and released all of their hatred in one swift motion. The bruises I would carry seemed to never go away. My only hope was to make it to the forge and hide away until once again, I would be thrown out to 'show myself to the outside world'.

Needless to say, I wasn't particularly fond of the whole 'destiny' idea. Unless my life was considered not worthy of having a future or perhaps I was living on borrowed time, I couldn't fathom how one's life could get any worse.

That is, until now.

_How could someone be expected to be born into a harsh and cruel world with nothing and no one to guide them? How a father and a mother could leave their newly born son, err, dragon, to grow up on their own? _I didn't understand the concept that dragons had. _Was it to make them stronger? Was it to teach them to always fend for themselves?_

The dragon culture made no sense to me. I had been a Night Fury for a whopping total of one day, and have nearly died….._Twice!_ A dragon being born into the world with no help whatsoever, would have virtually no chance of survival. The fact that the Night Fury lying next to me with his wing covering my body, was a miracle in itself.

It was a miracle that he had survived alone for all of his life. It was a miracle that I somehow survived the fiery blast of plasma he had rained across my body. It was a miracle that even though _I _was the one to shoot him down and completely obliterated his chance of flying, he was willing to let me live.

To anyone else, it would seem impossible.

To me, after what seemed like an endless stream of impossible events, it seemed like destiny. _Maybe I was meant to shoot him down. Maybe I was meant to come across his bound body. Maybe I was __**destined**__ to free him._

But now, I had nothing. Even if this Night Fury was willing to let me stay with him, I had nowhere to run, I had nowhere to hide. I was sure that my life would be over within a week's time, or I would suddenly jerk awake and realize that this was all some crazy dream.

I gave a sudden shiver that pulsed throughout my body and the Night Fury gave me a curious stare as looked desperately into his acid eyes. I was still so cold. The only light reflecting on us now was that of the moon. The dragon beside me closed his eyes and sighed as if he had just come to a conclusion within his mind. I started to get nervous as he opened his eyes to slits.

I could help but fear whatever he was going to do next. He had the power to take me out with little effort. He could use his claws to slash at my hide just one time and I would be nothing but a lifeless body in a pool of blood. He could so easily take my life and feed on my insides.

I stared to shrink down closer to the ground as he reached his head over my body and pulled back his wing slightly. _Please don't kill me. Please don't kill me._

And he didn't.

The Night Fury simply breathed in a lungful of air and sprayed down a pool of plasma fire just in front of my body. Once again, all he was doing was trying to help me. He leaned back down to where he was originally and I looked back over to him still shaking slightly.

|| I'm not one to socialize with others. || I cocked my head to the side and scrunched my nose slightly. His statement only further cemented my theory about how much of a miracle the situation was. He let out a long breath and turned his towards the pond that was shimmering to the reflection of the moonlight. || Ever since I found out that I was to raise myself and do things on my own, I became a secluded dragon. I never tried to reach out to anyone, I never tried to become close to another dragon. I could only think of the betrayal that I feared. ||

He was right; I had the same fear that he had, though mine was fear of losing more than I had already lost. I had the fear that if I got close to someone as I had to my mother, I would lose them as well.

|| The only contact I made was short conversations with other dragons. If I ever got close to someone to only have them be taken away or killed in an invasion, it would be a devastation that my heart has never felt. The only love for another dragon has been for my parents, but the betrayal of them leaving me at birth was something I never could forget. ||

I hated how much the world could make one's life so miraculous, but leave others to wither in pain and agony. The two of us had so much in common, we had so many similarities, but the one trait that we both shared that we wish we didn't was fear of loss.

We both had ways of dealing with our problems, and he was dealing with his as I assumed he always had, by getting rid of them. He tried to eliminate me after I freed him from the bola, he tried to ignore me when was freezing to death, and now he was trying to force me to leave as soon as I was able. My only problem, I had no solutions. It would be impossible for me to survive out in the wilderness alone. I would have virtually no chance of survival.

And maybe that was what he was teaching me.

Even in the worst possible situation with seemingly no outcome and no possible living result, one can _still _succeed. Maybe this was true, and maybe I just had to find the only possible outcome for my situation. Maybe I had to find the one solution that could keep me alive and well.

The only path that seemed to have any light at the end of the tunnel though, was through him. I knew that I had to convince this dragon to help me; I knew that I needed him in order to survive. I knew that without him, I would end up being the first Night Fury to be slain by the hands of a Viking.

The only thing that was telling me that I needed him though was that somehow, deep inside, I knew that he needed me as well. He needed me to do the impossible.

###

* * *

AN: So, officially my longest chapter that I have ever written. Hopefully there are still some people out there that have made it to this point without giving up. For those of you who stuck with it:

What did you think? I enjoyed this chapter very much. It seemed to go more in depth as to what the two were thinking and expanded upon their decisions. I hope that you thought the chapter was worth the read. The next chapter will include the village of Berk and more of these two 'debating'.

If you thought this was great, please remember to review, favorite and follow. It is because of these that my stories continue.

Also, from now on I will be updating my profile regularly to let my readers know when to expect upcoming chapters for both this as well as 'Truth and Reconciliation'. If this is something that you have been curious about, just visit my page and at the bottom you will see current updates that should inform you of when to expect the next chapter.

Thank you, and I really appreciate you taking your time to read through my stories.


	4. Chapter 4: Conviction

AN: We are back, sorry about the delay.

I give you:

* * *

A Fury's Tribulation

Conviction

* * *

Dragons can be the greatest of creatures and the worst of creatures. They can be the one to save your life when you have fought day and night to survive, or they can be a heartless wretch and watch you starve as your insides seep from your very flesh. A dragon will do just about anything for something or someone they care about.

Anything.

I used to think that the Empress was a dragon that cared for the ones that helped her. I thought that she was one who would give gratitude to those who risked their lives to keep her alive and well. I used to think that she would help us when _we _were the ones incapable of flying or hunting. I used to think wrong.

The first time it happened she seemed to play it off as an accident; like she didn't mean to do it, and that it would never happen again. The second time threw the whole nest into frenzy and caused several members of the drove to abandon the island. They were never seen or heard from again. The calamity of the nest finally settled and the dragons started to listen to the Empress as she reasoned with them, or more likely brainwashed them.

I left the Isle that night. I couldn't put up with the ridiculous lies that she was putting past them. It was like I was the only one who thought it was a little bit weird that the Empress was suddenly leaping from the depths of Hell in which she settled and was eating the defenseless dragons who didn't bring back quite enough food. She started lecturing the others on how if they didn't start cooperating and doing as she desired, their precious fire would be depleted just as the few dragons that abandoned the Isle not too long before.

Of course, none of the other dragons knew for sure if she had taken the other dragons' fire or not. They just assumed that since they hadn't been seen or heard from, they must had either died or lost their fire, which would cause them to die off anyway.

It wasn't a good situation by any means. Dragons will be dragons, but when trying to instruct an entire horde of the mindless beasts, it almost becomes overwhelming. The constant reminder that the Empress can, without notice, take control of their weak minds and lure their helpless souls toward her undeniably wretchedness, always remains.

I've seen much of the bad that dragons can exhibit, but I've also seen much of the good. What I hadn't seen, well, up until now that is, is the good in mortals. The dragon lying underneath my wing has truly become a revolution for my eyes to see. He has lost everything from his previous life: his tribe, his friends, and his family. And it was all because of me. Despite me being a part of it, he has been desperately trying to gain my trust of him and wanted a simple truce. I can't say that I'm surprised that he would want a truce. I mean if one were to compare _the two of us, _the winner of a duel would be obvious. He doesn't have any of the required skills to even stay alive in the forest, let alone take on a fearsome Dark Sentry.

Which brings me back to my point, a dragon would do anything for the one he loves. Even while I have loathed this Sentry from the time I came across his pathetic mortal form, he seems to have this magnetic pull on my emotions. Every time I would think about ripping the lungs from his acid splashed chest, his small form would somehow stop me. It was like I could see myself killing something that was relying so heavily on me. It was almost as if he were my pet. A living being that would obey every order and command that I would throw at it, but something that I have grown attached to in an unexplainable way. Even though he would just be a hindrance to my success, he would be _my _hindrance, and one that I could polish and train to follow in my own footsteps.

As if he was my very own hatchling.

It seemed so odd to me that, if I were to be attacked by wolves, the ideal thing to do would be to leave him as bait and make a run for myself. But now that he was under _my _care, _my _protection, I couldn't allow such a thing to happen.

Wouldn't.

And yet, I couldn't stop imagining the consequences of my actions towards the mutation of a Sentry. If I were to let my guard down for just one moment, just long enough for him to strike, my future would be vanquished.

It had kept me up through the night. Everything I was to do from here on out; it all depended on whether I left him for dead, or raised him as my own. The impossible had to be done, for it had already been done. There was no decent explanation as to how he managed to survive my plasma blast and miraculously change into what he thought of as a Night Fury. I just had to come up with some sort of plan in case he was to foil my own.

I never thought about raising a hatchling: it wasn't something that I ever desired, and it wasn't even tradition for a Dark Sentry to do so. I wasn't raised by my mother nor father, so then why should I even consider this mortal to fall in my footsteps?

I lifted my wing and scanned the sleeping body of the Sentry. His body had finally returned to a normal temperature and his breathing was smooth and consistent. I knew that he would be able to sustain himself now. Unfortunately, if I was to send him on his merry way, he would either get killed by a vicious predator or end up in the same position he was in when he arrived in my cove.

Mine.

The sun was finally edging its way over the horizon, or at least I assumed it was. I could only see the faint traces of light that was reflecting from above the cove walls. The dim light began to give me a clear view of the landscape that I was surrounded by.

I gradually lifted myself up off the ground that I seemed to have spent too much of my time upon. I trudged over to the edge of the pond and waited for my morning meal to appear. As I patiently hovered over the edge of the still water, I thought back to my predicament. What could I have done to train this dragon while securing my safety? What did I have to do to this Sentry to cause him to respect and honor my wishes? Seemingly just as an idea popped into my head, a fish swam just beneath my snout.

Delicious.

I didn't mind having to hunt for my food; it kept my senses smart and honed my agility. As I savored the taste of the Icelandic cod, a figure appeared by my side. I threw my body around and growled fiercely at the fish-stealing predator, or at least what I had assumed it to be. The obsidian dragon quickly took a few steps back and got as close to the ground as his body would allow.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to startle you. I was just going to watch."

Watch? What would he want to watch for? Was he trying to study my weaknesses for when he planned to attack? Was he planning an assassination right under my nose?

I shook my head from the ridiculous thought. Who was I kidding? This dragon wouldn't have hurt a fly. I felt as if I _wanted _him to attack me. At least then I would have an excuse for leaving him to die.

|| What do you have to gain from me? Why do you insist on staying here, and why do you think I should teach you the principles of being a Sentry? ||

"A what?" The dragon cocked his head to the side showing the almost _cuteness _that we Sentries possessed.

I rolled my eyes and huffed. || A _Night Fury. _|| What else would I have been talking about? Was he going to be this ignorant throughout the entire process? I took a deep breath, trying to prepare for the worst. I didn't want to give up on him within the first five minutes. I looked back up to him as he was pawing the ground nervously. He was lost in thought as he tried coming up with a decent answer.

I watched him for what seemed like ages. His slight movements and twitches just made the silence even more excruciating. I couldn't figure out what made this being so… helpless. He just sat beside me as I was staring at him patiently. I could tell he was trying his best to say something notable, but his joyful expression was quickly fading. I watched as he closed his eyes and slumped down on his shoulders. For a brief moment a tear came sliding down the Sentry's cheek and plopped onto the ground. He quickly shot open his eyes and stared desperately into my very own.

"I don't know."

I didn't move or remove my gaze from his luminous eyes. Instead, I just continued to watch as he struggled to come up with an explanation. He knew that answer wouldn't have been good enough for me. He knew that he was going to have to come completely clean if he wanted any sort of chance of me helping him. He knew this just as well as I did.

"I don't know, but it's because I don't understand why you have helped me even this far. I'm sure that any other dragon would have just let me fall into the cove and leave me to die if the impact itself didn't kill me." He paused, breathing in an attempt to stall the inevitable outbreak of tears.

"I'm sorry. I've been nothing but a burden for you and I'm sure that you would have rather been away from here with some other dragons. I don't have an answer to your questions because I truly don't know why you would even consider letting me stay. I haven't ever mounted up to be anything and I've only been known as the village screw up. You should have seen their faces when I told them I shot down a Night Fury, or whatever you're called. It has truly astonished me that you have willingly kept me alive as long as you have, and while I greatly appreciate your efforts, I can understand your reasoning."

"You asked me why I wanted to stay with you. To be honest, I don't know. All I know is that if I go out in the woods alone, I would most likely die. I _would _die. For once in my life, I just want there to be someone to lean on for help. I just want the feeling of someone being there for me. I know that it's probably the last thing you want to do, but it's what I crave more than anything in the world, human or dragon." He paused for a moment to clench his eyes as drops of sorrow fell from his scales. "It's been so long since I've had someone to call a friend or family. I know that you have never had someone like that, but maybe that's the reason it hurts so much for me….. I have absolutely no idea why you would even consider using me as your apprentice, because truthfully, _I_ wouldn't teach me."

So that was it, one would think that I would have killed him for not giving an appropriate answer. One would assume that I would have severed my ties with the mortal. One would suppose that I would leave him for dead like he should have been in the first place.

But they would be wrong.

For the _dragon _sitting before me had given exactly the answer I was searching for. There wasn't a dragon in all the lands that could have come up with a suitable answer, but he managed to say exactly what I was hoping for.

He was honest.

Any other dragon would have come up with some sorry excuse as they pleaded for mercy. They would have attempted to make themselves seem worthy of my time, but none of them would be. I had never before seen one to truly lose everything they held dear, but with this particular creature, I could honestly say that I had. He never had much in the way of family or friends, he never had a relationship that wasn't later crushed or obliterated, but then he truly lost his connection to the world he knew. He lost the one part of him that kept him sane.

I knew that he was completely desperate and he would do anything to just stay alive a little bit longer. It was then that I knew he could be trusted. He wouldn't go against my will and he wouldn't do something to harm me, for I was all he had left.

He lay down and rested his head on his paws. Apparently I had never told him why I saved his life the other day. I questioned my reasoning behind that as well, for any other dragon _would _have just let him fall. I was just too amazed that I finally got to see another-….

|| Dark Sentry.|| I hardly realized that I whispered the words out loud.

He looked back up to me and let out a long sigh. "What was that?"

I sighed and looked back over to the pond. || The species is called a Dark Sentry. They are the ones who scan and observe as the battles take place. They're the ones who lead from above while only intervening when absolutely necessary. _We _are Dark Sentries. ||

We.

He looked down as if in shame or self-disappointed. "I'm not a Dark Sentry. I'm not a dragon; I'm not even a Viking. I'm just the first one to stumble across your body and was the only one stupid enough to try and set you free."

I watched him as he thought about his life helplessly. It wasn't something that I was familiar with, but I could understand the pain he was in. He just lost everything of value to him and now he was practically begging his enemy for his life, and it was up to me to give it to him.

I scanned his body once more as the sun was giving me a better view than that of the moonlight. His slender body looked starved and mistreated. He still reeked of that dreaded mortal stench and the acid green streaks seemed to almost be fading away as he was becoming more and more depressed. The wings that were awkwardly folded to his side were still scarred and he had a gash that was slowly trying to heal across his chest.

It was time for me to make the decision. I knew what I was going to do. His pitiful story had grasped my heart and took away any will of mine to see him wither away and die. He was going to be my hatchling. He would be my apprentice, and he would maybe even end up being a friend.

I turned away from him and walked over to the edge of the pond. I waited patiently as the fish swam beneath my reflection. I took one last look over at the Sentry and sighed.

_Here goes nothing._

Moving one paw in a single, fluid motion, I slashed through the water and caught a fish just between my claws, throwing it to the dragon sitting nearby. Being a fairly good throw, I managed to hit him right across the face.

"What was that for?!"

I stared over at the shocked and now offended reptile. The fish was flopping around frantically searching for the nearest source of water. I rolled my eyes and gestured to the fish with my paw.

|| If you're going to be my apprentice, then the first thing you need to learn is that your body needs food to survive, and that fish happens to be the best source of food. Now you'd best catch that thing before it lands in the water or you'll never get it back. ||

###

* * *

###

Mornings were the worst. I would wake up, get prepared for the day, go through the entire village, assess the damage if a raid had occurred, then give a daily explanation about how I was going to make the village thrive to those who felt like testing my nerves that day. No, it wasn't particularly my favorite time of day.

From the time that I had woken up though, I knew that this day was to be different. There was an anomalous vibe that was surrounding my home; it made sense though. Last night we made the decision to go out for another hunt for the dragons' nest. I wasn't happy about the decision, but I knew it had to be made. There was no plausible way for us to continue living with the dragons coming forth every week. The village had enough of the ludicrous beasts aggravating their lives; personally, I had had enough.

My home was quiet. It wasn't that this was abnormal, but it was certainly uncomfortable, at least for today. I had yet to see Hiccup last night and I still had to tell him of the plan for while I went out on the hunt. I had intended to tell the boy last night, but he never showed his face. I figured he must have still been too embarrassed about the Nightmare incident.

I rolled my eyes as I replayed the situation over in my head. _How could he be so ignorant? When is he going to wake up and realize that he will need to grow up? _It bothered me dearly. I was the laughing stock of the village when it came the subject of our kids. It was always 'Why can't Hiccup be more like Snotlout?', or, 'Why can't he just stay out of trouble for a single day?' I hated to say it, but I agreed with them. My son wasn't ready to be a Viking; he wasn't ready to be anything.

The time had come that I needed to speak with the _hiccup._ I sighed deeply as I casually walked up the stairs to approach him. I made it to the top of the stairwell only to find that there was no sign of him. _Where could he be? _I walked through the room to find several articles out of place. He must have quickly rummaged through a few things and left, but it didn't look like much of anything was missing.

I turned and left the room to head for Gobber's forge. It was still dark out and anyone who was out was just walking around or preparing for the voyage. I made it to the shop and found Gobber hammering away at his latest creation. "Hello Gobber, have you seen Hiccup?"

The burly man paused, his hammer held high, then turned to look at me. "What do you mean Stoick? He is not in his room back at the house?"

I paused and looked around the shop for any sign of my boy. "No, I needed to tell him that he would be joining you in dragon training while I was on the hunt."

Gobber exchanged his hammer for the normal hook hand and walked to Hiccup's closet in the back of the forge. "He's not here Stoick. Where could he have gone?"

I stared at him for a moment as I thought back to the last time I had seen the boy. The last thing I told him was to get back to the house. _He wouldn't have run off without coming back for the night._ "What did he tell you before you dropped him off at the house yesterday?"

Gobber turned his head as he thought back to event. "He didn't say much. He just kept going on and on about how he _really_ did hit that Night Fury, but we have all heard that story before."

I turned back to face my home resting on top of the hill. "Yes, but he never ran off after he claimed to hit the dragon. He would just try and push it off like nothing happened….. Do you think he went to look for it?"

Gobber came up next to me and gave me an uneasy look. "He's probably out there Stoick…. If he is, then he could very well be in danger. You can't go on that hunt if your son is missing."

I lowered my head shaking it aggregately. "I have to go on that hunt Gobber. There is no way I can just cancel the search after preparing the entire village last night."

Gobber shook his head and raised his hook to my face. "Look Stoick, I know I'm not much of a parent, but what I do know is that if that was my son out there potentially getting himself killed, I would be out looking for him until I was sure he was safe. Even if it took until the day I died….. You don't need to cancel the search, just let Spitelout run the mission. He can handle it. _You _need to make sure Hiccup is alright."

I turned my head to the frustrating man beside me. "Damn it Gobber. Why can't he just be like every other Viking? Why does he have to go and do stuff like-"I gestured with my head towards the forest. "this."

Gobber sighed and shook his head. "I don't know, but you need to talk to your brother so we can go out and find that boy."

I nodded and broke our eye contact. I made my way over to the port where Spitelout was making quick progress of preparing the ships. Once he caught my gaze, I gestured for him to talk in private. If there was a problem involving my son, it was best if the fewest number of people as possible found out about it.

I pulled Spitelout to the side and took a deep breath before I explained the situation. "I need you to lead the search on this hunt Spitelout. I am having some problems with a certain villager that I must stay to take care of."

He cocked his head to the side and stared at me baffled. He knew that I would never back down on my duties unless there was something major that happened. "What happened Stoick? You can't just tell me to lead _your _operation while you run off to do something completely different. "

I shook my head in shame. I hated trying to explain why _my _son was the cause of so many problems. "It's because of Hiccup. He has gone missing and I need to find him."

Spitelout gave me a look of disgust. "Why do you keep dealing with that mistake Stoick? He has caused us nothing but trouble…. We would be fortunate if he were to never come back. We might actually gain some success, especially pertaining to the raids."

I sighed and gave him a grim look. "He's my son Spitelout, I know that doesn't mean anything to you, but regardless, I have to make sure that he is alright."

My brother shook his head and turned to walk away. As he headed back to the ships he voiced his last thoughts to me. "I think it's time that you either make that boy a Viking, or…..or get rid of him all together."

His words strained my heart dearly. _How can he just tell me to get rid of Hiccup? _The boy may not have been the bravest nor the smartest, or even the strongest, but he was mine. It always angered me that he would be the _hiccup _of the town, but I always tried my best to overlook his inabilities.

I made my way back to the forge where neither Gobber nor Hiccup was present. I walked into the back closet where Hiccup would spend much of his time trying to think of new inventions, most of which ended in disaster. I looked over some of his recent plans that he had lying on his desk. One of parchments had a list of the major dragon species and brief descriptions of them.

I quickly scanned through the list. _Gronckle, Deadly Nadder, Hideous Zippleback, Monstrous Nightmare. _Then in bolded letters and underlined several times it read: _**Night Fury.**_He wrote how he wanted to be the first to capture one of the reclusive creatures. He circled the dragon and description as if it was his one and only target.

I thought back to the night that Hiccup said that he hit a Night Fury. He seemed so confident that he actually hit that dragon, even more so than when we found out he was lying in the past. I tried to remember his exact words from the night. It was something about getting a search party out there. _Where was it that he said the beast fell? Ray po-…Ravine…. Raven's Point. He went to Raven's Point!_

I burst out of the storage closet to find Gobber just entering the forge. "Gobber! I know where he went!"

He looked at me strangely, then to the back of the shop. The door frame had been jerked out from wall and was lying on the ground. "Uh huh… So where do you suppose he went Stoick? And why do you always have to go around destroying things?"

I rolled my eyes and shook my head. "Sorry about that, but Hiccup went to Raven's Point. I was thinking back to when he left. He said that the Night Fury fell just off of Raven's Point. You know how much he wants to get a dragon. If he truly believes that he hit one, there's no doubt that he would go after it."

Gobber shifted his jaw as he pondered my theory. "He did keep saying that he _really _did hit one. Even if he didn't hit the dragon, it's the most valid possibility that we have towards finding him."

I quickly made my way past him and out of the shop. I turned back to see him just standing there staring at me. "Are you not coming?"

He rolled his eyes and grinned. "Not that I think he really hit the beast, but I don't think it would be a bad idea to bring a few weapons to make sure we can at least defend ourselves if we come across said reclusive dragon."

I huffed and walked back into the shop. "Ok Gobber, what do you have that can kill or capture a Night Fury?"

I received a glowing smirk as he made his way over towards his weapons cabinet. The man really did love his weapons. "First we have the bolas, second we have the swords, and then we have this magnificent net thrower that Hiccup came up with. I normally don't use _his _inventions, but seeing as I already _may_ have tested this one out and found out that it works flawlessly, we should definitely bring it along. It works perfectly, all you do is hold it out in front of you, aim it at your target, then pull the trigger." A large net with six small stones attached came flying out of the barrel of the device and shot right out of the forge. A loud yelp sounded as soon as the net captured its target.

We ran outside to find Snotlout entangled inside of Gobber's seemingly properly working net. Gobber beamed a smile at me. "I told you it works great."

I rolled my eyes and smirked as I looked down to the entrapped teen. He was struggling and fidgeting as he attempted to free himself. "Could one of you give me a hand?"

I looked back to Gobber who was still amused by the weapons ability. "You better bring a few of those nets in case your aim isn't as good as the dragon's ability to flee."

He sneered and nodded his head a few times. "I've got you covered Stoick." He walked back into his shop and brought out three more nets that were ready to be loaded and fired. "The beast won't even know what hit him."

###

* * *

###

I stared at the Night Fury in shock. _Did he really just say that he was going to teach me? _I was so relieved to finally hear the words come out of his mouth. There was nothing I wanted more at the moment then to actually be able to have a friend. Well, the closest thing to a friend that I have ever had, that is. A plop and splash caught my attention while I was still staring at the dragon.

|| Great, so the first thing I try and teach you, has failed. ||

I closed my eyes and sighed as I realized that I wasn't paying attention to the fish. To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled to be eating raw fish in the first place. "I'm sorry, uhh-" I paused for a moment as I tried to remember what his name was. _Had he told me his name? _I thought back through the times that we had talked. I didn't remember one time where he referred to himself as anything other than Dark Sentry. "I'm sorry, but what was your name?"

He looked back at me like I was an idiot. I just stared back waiting for an answer. "Your name? You know, like what I call you."

He rolled his eyes and huffed. || Yeah, I heard you the first time. Dragons don't have names, because we don't need them. It was just be redundant calling someone something over and over even though you would be directly speaking to them. ||

"But how do you pick someone out of a crowd, or just refer to them to be more direct?"

He huffed once again and sat back on his hind legs. He mumbled something about how this was going to be a long night. || You clearly don't understand how anything works with dragons, so I will be lenient, but if you start making dumb observations and statements then I swear to you that I will end your life in an instant. || He was apparently not the patient type. || Anyway, dragons don't need names because we speak through our minds. It's not vocalized like you barbarian mortals do it. You call out to the specific dragon you are talking to. Unless you are trying to speak to a crowd, no other being would hear the conversation. Our speaking is already _direct _by the way we converse. ||

I sat back and thought about his statement. "But you could still have names like we do, it gives you some individuality. Plus I won't have to go around calling you _Dark Sentry, _or _Night Fury._ I mean everyone needs to have a name. I don't even know how you would refer to yourself. Even when I'm thinking to myself, I still think of myself being _Hiccup."_

He continued to stare at me not amused. || Hiccup? Is that your _name_? Really, Hiccup? ||

I just nodded to him somewhat excited. I'm not sure why I was getting all enthused, maybe it was the fact that this was most likely the longest conversation I had ever shared with another person, well, dragon. "Yeah, I know it's not the greatest but-"

|| That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard! Why would you call yourself a hiccup? It's like saying that you're an accident or a screw-up. ||

My joyful grin soon faded as I looked back down at the grass below me. "I didn't call myself _Hiccup. _It's the name that my mother gave me."

He seemed to notice my sudden lack of enthusiasm as he calmed down and spoke in a more sympathetic tone. || Oh, but I still don't understand why she would name you that. Is that name supposed to mean something better in your culture? ||

I looked back up to him to see him staring at me with sincerity. I sighed and tried to put on a fake half smile. "Well, Vikings sometimes give their offspring names like mine to frighten off gnomes and trolls. It's never been my favorite, but you know, it's mine. No one else has it and I kind of like that it's just me that is known as Hiccup." I thought back to all the people in the village that always thought of my name to be a perfect fit; my eyes drooped once more in response. "Unfortunately, everyone back in Berk always thought that the name suited me just right. Some would even say that _useless_ would have been a better name. I was a pretty typical hiccup."

He continued to look me over as I lay down on the grass. || Why didn't you ever just stand up for yourself? ||

I looked up to him almost shocked. "Did you not pay _any _attention to me when I was a human? I mean, I wasn't really anything to admire. I was the smallest and weakest of the tribe. There would be no way for me to stand up to them. It would be like a Terrible Terror trying to stand up to a Monstrous Nightmare."

|| No, it would be nothing like that. || I looked up to him slightly confused. || Dragons don't put others below them. We may look down on them as being less capable or not as powerful, but that never means that they are a lesser being. If we have a member of our species that has been injured or cannot help themselves, we offer our own assistance. Are you saying that mortals don't so the same? ||

I sighed as I thought back to how Snotlout would treat me if I were to have gotten hurt or was in need of help. "No, humans would rather laugh in your face because you're not a true _Viking._"

There was silence while we both took in how awful my former species was. No matter how much I tried to get the thoughts about them out of my head, they always seemed to make their way back. Even as a human, I desperately tried to distance myself from the others. The more I would be with them, the more I would come home with a arm covered in bruises, or on what ended up being a regular occasion, trying to explain the black eye I received by a certain arrogant teen. My father always knew I was lying by saying that I had either tripped or ran into something, but he would never try and force it out of me; he knew I didn't want any more trouble.

_I hate them so much._

I looked back to him and noticed him staring intently upon me; almost as if he was trying to figure out exactly what I was thinking. || So, who is _them_? || Or maybe he did know what I was thinking.

I reeled back slightly eyeing him carefully. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

|| To be honest, I'm not really sure. It's happened a few times now though. It's like if you strongly thinking about something, it's almost as if you're whispering it out loud. I've never had it happen until now, but then again, I've never talked to another Sentry before. ||

I shook my head in disbelief. "There is so much that I don't understand about you guys. First the whole name thing, now you seemingly hearing my thoughts, what's next?"

The Night Fury before me rolled his eyes and huffed. || The whole name thing is dumb, and I have no idea why I can hear some of your thoughts. ||

I watched him as he was breathing through his mouth. There was something off about his gums, I couldn't place my hand- er _paw _on it. I looked a little bit closer until he closed his mouth shut from noticing my lack of attention. "Toothless. I could have sworn you had-"

|| What? ||

I shook my head returning my attention to the dragon before me. "Toothless! You're toothless, that could be your n-"

|| Absolutely not. There is no way in hell that you're going to run around calling me Toothless, especially since it's completely inaccurate. || The dragon opened his mouth for me to get a full view of his colorless, razor sharp teeth. || See, mouth full of them. Your insinuation is false. ||

I sneered slightly and narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't think so; just a minute ago you didn't have one of those in there. There must be a way-" I started using every one of my muscles in my mouth to try and move my teeth. I must have looked like a real moron moving my jaw around in awkward motions. Suddenly the teeth quickly retracted to give me a _toothless _mouth. "See?"

He shook his head and sighed in frustration. || Regardless of the infamous ability that Dark Sentries have to retract their teeth, you are not calling me _Toothless. _That would almost be as bad as H- ||

"Hiccup?" I answered angrily. He smiled and nodded.

|| Yes, and just because you were given a ridiculously ludicrous name, doesn't mean that I need one that is just as inane. ||

I huffed and stared at him intently for a few moments. "Toothless, it has a nice ring to it doesn't it? I think it's perfect."

|| Well I sure don't. I don't understand why you're so stuck on giving a living being a name anyway. If you really insist on it, you can call me _Night Fury_. ||

I rolled my eyes as I thought about the possibility. "No, Night Fury would bring back too many bad memories, not to mention that any other dragon would instantly know that I was originally a human."

He shook his head and sighed once more. || And you running around calling me Toothless wouldn't give them any idea that you were a _human._ ||

I chuckled slightly, which ended up sounded very distorted coming from the vocals of a dragon. "Well it would certainly be better than Night Fury or _Dark Sentry. _That just sounds too, well, _dark._ No, I like Toothless much more. I think it's a great name."

|| Then if it makes you feel better, I will call _you _Toothless, and I will remain the way I originally intended. ||

"That's stupid. I can't be Toothless because I'm Hiccup, and besides, I think that it will grow on you in time."

He huffed and started walking away towards the other side of the cove. || Just don't be surprised if you suddenly get hit with a ball of plasma when you call me that. ||

I smiled arrogantly since I felt that I won the debate with him giving up. || And you didn't win either! ||

I won….. "Wait up, Toothless!" A sudden blast of plasma exploded on the ground before me. "I still need you to teach me how to catch a fish with my paw."

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AN: So, what is the consensus? Was the chapter any good? Is the story developing as you would suspect? Let me know what you think in the review below. I really enjoy this story even if many of you don't like it as much as 'Truth and Reconciliation'. I think I just enjoy the first person writing style more as it allows me to go more in depth with the characters.

Please remember that you can visit my page to see if there is a update coming or if one was recently released and you may have missed it.

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Thank you everyone!


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